Limitless
by OmegaGear
Summary: A demon comes to Nerima in search of someone worthy. After Ryoga, Mousse, and even Happosai are defeated, it takes Ranma to the brink of death. Now, Akane must make an unthinkable sacrifice that will change their lives forever, but can Ranma find what he needs to defeat the demon? It will take something limitless to face the great void.
1. Strength

**Disclaimer: **Ranma 1/2 and its characters are all the property of Rumiko Takahashi.

Also, note that chapters 1-6 are currently going through an extensive rewrite for quality and consistency purposes. I encourage you to read through chapter 7, because it's my personal opinion that it gets a lot better at that point. Regardless, I hope you enjoy what you do read! Any comments or thoughts on the story in the form of a review are greatly appreciated, and I'll respond to them in the notes of my latest chapter as I receive them.

* * *

It was a quiet summer day in Nerima. The sun shined brightly as it rose in the sky, nary a cloud to block its light. Birds chirped as they flew from their nests for their morning meals from various feeders, and the streets began to fill with young students on their way to school.

At least, they were all on their way to school, except one, Ryoga Hibiki. The young loner was walking against the stream of students, lost in his own thoughts as he wandered aimlessly, but with purpose.

No one paid him any mind, most having past experience with the perpetually lost boy whom often challenged, and lost, to Ranma Saotome. Their only concern was if they were going to get to see a fight between the two.

_Akane Tendo…_Ryoga thought to himself as he continued to gaze upwards at the rising sun. _It's been so long since we were last together, but this time, things will be different._

Ryoga thought back to his last, self proclaimed 'fated' meeting with the youngest Tendo sister. It had been like any other meeting; him happening upon her after much wandering, searching for something else after declaring he was leaving for good.

This was the going theme for his run-ins with Akane since her failed wedding with Ranma. He had decided, back then, that he would allow Akane to choose for herself. In the mean time, he tried to be more devoted to Akari, but he kept finding himself mysteriously drawn away from her, and back towards Akane.

_Fate keeps bringing us back together… it must be the power of my love, Akane! _Ryoga thought. _I'm sorry, Akari, but who am I to fight fate? If it's meant to be..._

Lost in thought, Ryoga didn't notice he was no longer walking against a steady stream of students. In fact, no one at all was outside on the street he was now walking along, but this did not bother the boy, for he did not notice. He made a turn into an alley leading towards the river when a cold breeze blew past his legs. An icy chill ran up his spine as he snapped out of his daydream and was suddenly aware of a strange presence.

"Who goes there!?" he demanded, turning quickly and throwing a trio of razor sharp bandanas. The three spinning cloth blades struck nothing but thin air, shocking Ryoga. "What!?"

A strange voice, a man's, laughed grimly. Ryoga looked for the source of the laughter, but couldn't spot anyone else in the alley. His body tensed as the laughter returned, echoing through the vacant alley.

"Damn it," he cursed. He pulled out his umbrella, prepared to fight a potential ambush. "show yourself!"

Silence was his answer, until a shadowy figure suddenly appeared. Ryoga blinked and tried to remember exactly how the figure had appeared, not believing what he thought he had seen.

_Did he just appear out of thin air? _Ryoga tensed at the thought.

"You are strong," the man said. The figure stepped forward, but remained in the shadows, concealing his face. Ryoga sized him up to be pretty tall, the same height as Ranma and himself, but with a larger build.

"Who are you?" he asked the strange man.

The man did not answer, but took another step forward. Ryoga sensed ill intent and lowered himself into a battle stance. Another step and Ryoga could begin to feel the man's chi, and was surprised at how it felt. It felt like thirst.

"W… what are you?" He asked, starting to lose his resolve.

"Are you worthy?" the man asked, rather than answering the boy's question.

Without another word, the man suddenly lunged at him with incredible speed, closing the distance between them in a second. Ryoga tried to defend himself from the attack. But was too slow, and the blow made him see stars.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter I: Strength**

* * *

"Hurry up, Ranma!" Akane called as she stormed out the front gate. "We're going to be late!"

"I'm comin! I'm comin!" Ranma called back as he followed her out the gate a few steps behind.

Their usual morning spat had again left them late for school, but thanks to their lifelong training in martial arts, making up time by running wasn't hard to do. It also helped that doing this every day since Ranma had arrived at the Tendo dojo has forced them to discover every possible short cut leading to the school.

Akane didn't even bother looking to see if Ranma had caught up yet as she planned their path to school. She knew he'd follow her anywhere she went, for whatever perverted reason he had for not letting her out of his sight. Without a word, she cut to the left between two houses and Ranma quickly followed, nearly catching up with his tomboy fiancée at the turn.

Ranma was within reaching distance when he noticed the shortcut they had taken and cursed. "Ah! Akane! Why!?" he cried.

The sudden meow from beside them sent Ranma crashing into the wall beside him as he leapt in fear of the sound. Several cats were sitting beside the house they were passing, and Ranma knew what lay ahead, but looked anyways. Before him, dozens of cats were meowing and pawing at each other. Ranma didn't know why, but this alley between homes in Nerima was some kind of meeting place for pet cats and strays alike, leaving it a shortcut choice in only the most desperate of times.

"Hurry up Ranma!" Akane shouted. She was already out of the alley.

Ranma looked up ahead and gulped. "No turning back, I guess, heh heh," he said to himself nervously.

The cats all suddenly turned and gazed at him. Their eyes glowed brightly in the dark space between the houses, spiking Ranma's fears. Although he did not remember, Akane had told him when he was in the nekoken once, in the past, he had come here and become a favorite amongst the cats. While Ranma had doubts about any stories of his time in the nekoken, the way the cats all looked at him convinced him that one must've been true.

Steeling himself, Ranma closed his eyes tightly and ran forward full speed, screaming all the way as dozens of cats meowed and pounced on him. He could feel them touching him all over, but ignored any thoughts of them. As long as his eyes were closed, he could imagine they were squirrels, or tiny dogs, puppies! Yes, they were cute, little puppies! And the meowing? Well, he was screaming to drown them out.

After a few seconds, Ranma felt the foreboding feeling subside, signaling he had escaped. Even after exiting the alley, though, he continued to run full speed, screaming with his eyes shut, quickly reaching Akane again.

"Get a grip!" she said, and punched him on the head.

Ranma jerked at the blow and opened his eyes, relieved to see no cats on him. With a deep sigh of relief and a hand on his heart he slowed to keep in step with Akane. "That was a dirty trick, Akane!" he accused.

"I Don't know what you're talking about," she said, grabbing him by the back of his collar. "Here!" she exclaimed, making a cut to the right this time.

Ranma was jerked off his feet when Akane grabbed his collar and couldn't see where they were going as she dragged him down a side street. He watched the passing scenery and soon recognized the street when something suddenly hit him from behind.

"What the!" Ranma rubbed his head and turned his face around to see where Akane was going and barely had a chance to identify the trash can as it smashed into him. _Trash day…_ he recalled to himself.

Akane didn't give any sign of noticing Ranma's plight, and continued to rush down the street dragging him into countless bins of trash. At the end of the street, she turned left to run along the river road, releasing Ranma mid turn, sending him flying into the fence.

Ranma remained crushed against the fence, twitching with his thumb, index, and pinkie fingers extended, and remaining fingers folded. "You uncute tomboy…" he hissed.

Akane grinned to herself having released Ranma after getting the revenge she wanted for the early morning argument. _Serves him right, _she thought. _That's the last time I go to the trouble of making him breakfast!_

Akane played back the events of the morning in her head. Kasumi had been a bit behind on breakfast, so Akane actually thought she'd help out, and make eggs for her and Ranma while everyone ate what Kasumi prepared. It seemed like the perfect idea, since he was always last to the table anyways.

She remembered watching him take that first bite with such joy. He didn't know she had made them, so he dug right in. Once it went in though, he went pale, and asked what cruel soul had slipped garbage into his breakfast.

That hurt enough, but when she had explained she'd made the eggs just for him, she thought he'd apologize. Instead, he had said he should've known she was out to kill him.

_That stupid jerk!_ Akane fought back the tear that tried to get out from her aching heart. She really had tried her best for him.

Akane was so engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the young bandana wearing man that limped out in front of her. She collided with the man and fell to the ground with him.

"Ouch! Hey! Watch where you're going!" she shouted while rubbing her back. She then noticed who she had run into and her anger changed to concern. "Ryoga?" she asked.

Indeed, it was Ryoga whom she had run into, but he did not answer. His body lay there twitching, like he had just lost another fight to Ranma, only Akane knew it couldn't have been that. Not even Ranma was that fast.

"Ryoga, what happened to you!" Akane cried, shaking him a little.

By this time, Ranma had caught up and was getting ready to demand an explanation for the short cuts Akane had chosen when he saw Ryoga. "What happened to him?" he asked.

"I don't know," Akane answered. "He was like this when I got here."

"R… Ran… ma…" Ryoga mumbled out. The lost boy struggled to get his head up and looked over to his rival, and admittedly superior in combat. "Trouble… for you…" he gasped, and then fainted.

"Eh? Ryoga!" Ranma shouted, trying to wake the unconscious youth. "Ryoga! What are you going on about!"

"Ranma, let's take him to Dr. Tofu's" Akane said.

She was glad that their family doctor had finally returned from his mysterious trip. He had been gone for nearly three months, and still hadn't told anyone anything about the sudden trip.

Ranma was still trying to awaken the passed out Ryoga, and didn't notice Akane's suggestion. He continued to shake him, more violently than Akane had, until he was suddenly knocked out himself by a sudden blow to the side of his head.

"Honestly," Akane fumed while dragging both of the unconscious boys behind her as she walked to Dr. Tofu's clinic.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Elsewhere in Nerima, a long purple haired girl was riding a bike with a large metal take-out carrier. Behind her, a black haired man in a white robe sprinting behind. The girl seemed to pay the man no mind, giggling as she rode along innocently. The man, on the other hand, was gasping for air as he struggled to keep up while calling out to her.

"Shampoo! Wait for me!" Mousse pleaded.

Shampoo didn't answer or look back, and continued her carefree pace down the street towards the Nekohoten. She was humming a light-hearted tune to herself and didn't notice that her pursuer had been suddenly immobilized. It wasn't until she noticed how quiet it had become when she finally looked back to see Mousse sprawled out on the ground, looking like something had rampaged over him.

"Mousse?" she called as she turned her bike around and rode over to him. "What you doing on ground?"

Mousse could only let out a slightly annoyed groan in response. He tried to move, but could only twitch his hands and feet.

Shampoo sighed and lifted the defeated Mousse over her shoulder. "Silly boy need be more careful," she exclaimed before taking off on her bike again.

Shampoo noticed where she was in Nerima, and sighed. The Nekohoten was pretty far away, meaning it'd be faster to dump Mousse at Dr. Tofu's clinic. "Shampoo be late now cause take Mousse see doctor," she said.

Again, Mousse only groaned and grunted in reply, but sounded grateful as he was carried towards Dr. Tofu's. The pair arrived just as Akane finished hauling her pair of unconscious boys to the clinic.

"Aiya!" Shampoo exclaimed at seeing Ranma unconscious in Akane's hands. She quickly leapt off her bike and dropped Mousse to the ground. When she landed she took Ranma and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "What violent girl do to airen?" she asked, laying on heavy concern.

Akane's eye twitched at seeing Ranma wrapped in Shampoo's hands and she reflexively grabbed him by his pigtail and pulled him to her side. "That's none of your business!" she shouted.

"Violent girl watch what she say," Shampoo threatened. She glared into her rival's eyes and began to release her battle aura. Her body was consumed in a thin red light, as was Akane's as they continued to glare at each other, not noticing Ranma had come to.

Ranma grunted as he regained consciousness and rubbed his head where he had been hit. "Ouch…" he groaned. "Akane, what the hell was… huh?"

Ranma stopped talking when he saw the two young women having an epic staring contest complete with increasingly large battle auras. So thick were the glows that he could feel their heat like a hot summer sun. "Sh-shampoo, what're you doin here?" he asked meekly.

Shampoo's battle aura shrank until it vanished and the purple haired girl turned to the boy, whom was still sitting on the ground. "Aiya! Shampoo come see airen!" she exclaimed. She again wrapped her arms around Ranma, and this time snuggled into his chest.

Ranma wasn't able to stutter out his protest before Akane sent an elbow into his face. As Ranma collapsed onto his back again, Akane addressed the Amazon. "That's a lie!" she shouted. "What happened to Mousse?"

Shampoo looked at the rather pathetic looking man she had so easily discarded to the ground. He was more beat up now, having been thrown away like that, and was mumbling incoherently.

"Shampoo not know," she answered simply. "One minute, Mousse bugging Shampoo on way to make early morning delivery. The next, Mousse all beat up on ground."

Akane lost a bit of her edge after hearing Shampoo's story. She recollected the state at which she found Ryoga and found them to be odd coincidences. "That's how we found Ryoga," she said.

The two girls were interrupted when the door to the clinic opened. Dr. Tofu was taking out his "Open for patients" sign when he happened upon the group of youngsters.

"Akane, Shampoo!" He called, waving at the girls. He saw the three men lying on the ground in various stages of defeat, and Ranma still with Akane's elbow in his face. "Same old, same old, I see," he said.

Akane looked down and blushed slightly when she saw that she still had her elbow in Ranma's face. "Oh, no, Dr. Tofu," she answered. "Not exactly…"

"Well, why don't you help me bring them in, and you can explain everything," Tofu said.

Akane and Shampoo helped the three young men into the clinic and recollected their separate incidents to the doctor as he took a look at each individual. Ranma was the easiest of the three, having only sustained the usual blows from Akane. The other two, however, gave pause to the doctor.

"Hmm…" he hummed in contemplation.

"What is it, doctor?" Akane asked, wondering what could have caught his curiosity.

"These injuries…" he said while pointing at some marks on Ryoga. "You say you didn't see the attacker?"

Akane and Shampoo both shook their heads.

"I ran into Ryoga after it had happened," Akane explained.

"Shampoo no notice when Mousse get jumped," the Amazon said.

Silence fell on the trio before Ranma grumbled as he came to. He sat up slowly and rubbed his face while muttering. "Damn… what happened?" he asked.

"Ah, Ranma," Tofu exclaimed in a pleased manner. "Akane gave you quite the beating!" he said.

Ranma grunted and spun on the bed so his legs were bent over the edge. He looked over to the three other conscious people and asked, "The others come to yet?"

"I'm afraid not," Tofu said. "I haven't gotten a chance to fully treat them just yet."

"Oh, so you just need some more time then," Akane suggested, hopeful.

Tofu became downcast and stood from his seat. "Actually, the problem isn't time," he admitted grimly.

"What?" the others all said in unison. They all leaned in towards the doctor, waiting for an explanation.

"These injuries are quite severe," he said. "Whoever inflicted them had to have been a very powerful martial artist, and known some very special techniques."

"Heh, if that's all, I can take 'em!" Ranma declared, swelling with his massive ego.

"Aiya! Ranma beat up bad man for Shampoo!" Shampoo said happily as she glomped him.

Ranma flinched as the Amazon attached herself to him and went ice cold at seeing Akane flare up. "C-cut that out! Lemme go, Shampoo!" he begged feebly as Akane towered over him, glowing bright red. "C-come on Akane, wait! I'm not doing nothing!" he cried, but it was too late.

Akane gave Ranma a mighty uppercut, sending him flying out of Tofu's clinic and into the early morning sky.

Shampoo remained behind slightly shocked at the sudden departure of her airen. "Why violent girl always interfere?" she asked, getting up and meeting Akane's eyes.

"Oh, don't mind me;" Akane said sternly, "you two can do whatever you like!" And she stomped out of the clinic, walking nowhere in particular. _Ranma, you idiot!_

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ranma flew through the air screaming. He was used to this sort of treatment, but it didn't make it any less scary to be crashing towards the ground at such a high speed. Some people would describe seeing all of Nerima from the sky as a beautiful experience, but for Ranma it was a recurring nightmare.

Happosai skipped happily as he continued to fill his green sack. It was a particularly beautiful day, proving to bare more fruit for him to pick than usual. Of course, by fruit, he meant women's underwear.

"Hehe!" He laughed as he snatched a pair from a window clothesline. "What a haul! What a haul!" he chanted while hopping from the second story window and into the street. "Oh beautiful day! Granting me a bountiful treasure…"

Happosai was cut off as Ranma collided with him, head-to-head. The pair of martial artists collided into the street while Happi's sack blew open, releasing its contents.

Not needing to look back to know what had hit him, Happosai began to glow bright blue as he prepared to punish his ingrate student.

"Ranma!" he hissed. He got to his feet and surveyed his precious collection scattered along the dirty pavement. Normally this scene would bring tears to his eyes, but it only fueled his anger, causing his aura to grow. "You're gonna pay for your insolence!"

Ranma was slow to recover from the collision, but saw his perverted, self-proclaimed, grand master and got to his feet. He looked around to see the street littered with panties and bras, and cracked his knuckles. "You dirty old letch!" he yelled. "I didn't do nothing you didn't deserve!"

"Silence!" the old master cried. His aura spiked with his shout, cracking the surrounding walls as it smashed into them like a shockwave. "Prepare to be punished!"

Ranma braced himself for the coming attack and began to channel his own battle aura, knowing full well that physical attacks would do no good when Happosai was like this. _The old letch is serious! I better be careful... Huh?_ Ranma stopped suddenly as he felt something strange nearby. His aura drifted back into his body while he concentrated on the foreign presence.

Happosai also felt the mysterious presence, but unlike Ranma, did not fully lose his concentration. "Mmm?" he mumbled, looking to the street beside them with his aura still glowing brightly.

A tall, oddly dressed man was standing in the shadows of a building. Ranma couldn't make out his face, but could make out his clothes. They looked like traditional ninja garb, except unlike, say, Sasuke's, were more complete. Rather than just the clothes, Ranma could tell the man also wore the armor associated with a ninja. Light armor that protected the body without sacrificing speed or flexibility.

"Who goes there!?" Happosai hissed, still using his battle aura filled voice.

The man did not answer the old man's question, but at least spoke. "You are strong," he said. "But you are not worthy."

Ranma couldn't help but notice how strange the voice sounded. It was grim, and laced with hunger, or thirst. The voice suggested that the ninja was a cruel man, which went along with the icy chill his presence seemed to radiate.

Happosai raised an eyebrow at the comment and seemed to get even angrier. "Not worthy!? You punk!" He cursed. "After I'm finished with my ingrate student, I'll show you who's worthy and who isn't!"

The man began to glow with his own green battle aura and let out a laugh of superiority. His aura was indeed strong, and gave Ranma the chills; not because of its power, but because of its intent.

Happosai used his aura for intimidation, as most martial artists did. This one, however, wasn't like an extension of power. It felt like another presence entirely, and it felt like extreme hunger and thirst. This was no simple display of power. This man meant to destroy with his aura.

Happosai also noticed the strange difference in the man's aura. "You're a strange one," he declared. "But I accept your challenge!"

"Hmph," the man laughed again. "I have no time for the unworthy."

"You'll come to regret those words!" Happosai formed his aura into a massive serpent and charged at the man, having completely forgotten Ranma. "Have at you!"

Ranma watched as Happosai's serpent aura met with the strange man's own glowing extension. The collision resulted in an explosion of chi, tossing Ranma backwards into a wall and blinding him with light. As the light died down, Ranma opened his eyes to see the old man glaring at the young ninja, auras still clashing, causing sparks of electricity between the two.

"Not bad for a young one," the old master said with an impressed laugh.

The ninja gave no reply. Happosai was further angered by this and prepared to attack. He was through with testing his strength. "Now you're gonna get it!" he shouted while pulling out a small bomb. "Happo fire burst!"

Ranma became terrified as the bomb was pulled from the old man's gi and quickly got to his feet. Not wanting to be caught in the blast, he retreated at great speed, but was tossed by the explosion into yet another wall. As he got up, he cracked an eye open to see more explosions, slowly making their way towards him.

"Oh god!" he cried. He resumed his retreat, having no interested in the old letch doing battle with the strange man. No matter where he ran, however, the explosions seemed to follow, like the battle was gravitating towards him. He could still hear Happosai's battle cries, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end and propel his feet faster.

_This is crazy!_ Ranma thought as he bounded over a wall that was blown to dust just behind him. _Whoever this guy is, not even the old letch is a match for him._

Ranma continued to run while the explosions drew dangerously close. Now he could not just hear them, but feel them on his back. _Damn! Too close!_ He thought to himself in panic. He ran faster still, the world around him becoming a blur as he gave full concentration to his feet.

_I hate to say it, but what I would give for some cold water right now! _Ranma thought, wishing he had the speed of his girl form at the moment.

As if on cue, a splash of cold water hit Ranma in the face, having been tossed by the same old lady he seemed to pass every day. Girl type Ranma sprinted off at a blazing pace, not caring about the circumstance of her transformation at the moment.

Rounding another corner, Ranma saw the one thing in the world she did not want to come across in this situation. _Akane! Sh_e cursed herself and shouted as loud as she could through the oncoming explosions. "Akane!" she shouted.

The fuming girl didn't notice Ranma's calls, or the explosions from Happosai's bombs. She continued to walk aimlessly, still fixed on her anger towards Ranma letting Shampoo hold him like that. _Ranma, you idiot! Always letting Shampoo hug him like that! _She kept telling herself as she marched down the street, fists clenched. _He's such a jerk!_

_She can't hear me! Damn, and it's getting closer. I have no choice!_ Ranma took in a deep breath and shouted with everything she had. "HEY, TOMBOY!"

Ranma's girl voice echoed through all of Nerima, stirring the trees. Birds fled into the sky from what they believed to be a coming storm. Akane was snapped from her trance and turned towards the red headed girl running towards her, fist already rearing back to punch her lights out.

"Ranma, you jerk!" she shouted. She punched forward with blind rage, but hit air as Ranma ducked under the blow.

Ranma knew it was coming and quickly dodged below Akane's fist while lifting her in her arms. She quickly leapt onto a rooftop and took off with Akane in her arms.

"Let go of me!" Akane protested, completely consumed by her anger. She slapped Ranma across the face, but couldn't free herself. "Put me down, you pervert!"

Ranma ignored Akane's insults and held onto her tightly.

"You idiot! Take a look around you!" she shouted while leaping to another roof.

Akane didn't listen to what Ranma was saying, but a sudden explosion caught her attention. "Ah! What the hell is that!?" she cried.

"Oh, so NOW you notice!" Ranma shouted while jumping to an even higher roof. "The old letch is throwing bombs all over the place!"

At hearing Ranma's explanation, she returned to anger at her now girl bodied fiancé. "Ranma! What did you do!" she demanded.

"What!? They're not aimed at me, stupid!" She answered, making a jump for the top of an apartment building.

"They're not?" Akane asked, unbelieving. Suddenly she felt a cold presence behind them and turned to see a man dressed in ninja garb leaping after them. "Ranma! Look out!"

_Damn! _Ranma cursed while spinning in mid air. "Akane! Hang on!" She ordered.

Ranma released one of her arms from holding Akane and waited a moment for her to grab hold of her. _Here goes…_ Ranma channeled her aura into her palm and concentrated on a single thought. _Have to focus!_

The man closed in on them, and Ranma focused as hard as she could. _Gotta protect Akane!_ And she felt her chi form into a ball. _Got it!_

"Eat this!" she shouted.

Ranma tossed the chi ball one handed at the mysterious ninja while falling back with Akane holding onto her tightly. The man seemed to falter at hearing Ranma's girl voice, allowing the ball to strike him in the chest. The explosion knocked Ranma back but she was able to flip before landing on her feet atop the apartment building.

When the dust cleared, the man sneered at Ranma and Akane. "You're not the one," he said.

"Why you…" Ranma began to channel her chi again. She let Akane down from her hold, and concentrated her chi into both hands this time, determined to defeat the strange man. "I don't know what you're after, but you've caused enough trouble!" she declared. Ranma formed a ball of white chi and prepared to launch it when an imp-like figure suddenly appeared behind the ninja.

Happosai pulled two giant bombs from his gi and grinned evilly at the unsuspecting ninja.

"Oro?" Ranma suddenly lost her focus at the sight of the giant bombs and her chi fizzled.

"Happo fire burst!" Happosai shouted and threw the massive bombs.

Ranma grabbed Akane and leapt back in panic. Bombs of that size were going to cause a lot of damage. "Run away!" she cried, but it was too late.

The bombs exploded, throwing the two from the roof of the apartment. They were spinning uncontrollably towards the ground, screaming.

_Akane!_ Ranma took hold of Akane and flipped around so that she was flying backwards to the ground with the other girl following above. As they crashed, Ranma absorbed the entire impact while Akane landed softly on top of the smaller girl.

When Akane recovered from the blow, she was overtaken by concern. She'd seen what Ranma had done, and knew that she took the brunt of the impact to save her. "Ranma!" she cried, worried that she may be hurt seriously.

Akane lifted the red headed girl's face in her hands and gave her a slap. When no response was made, Akane resorted to shaking her violently. "Ranma! Wake up!" she yelled desperately.

A loud thud next to her made her turn her attention away to see Happosai on the ground, looking like he had been trampled. The old man said nothing, and twitched while smoke rose from his body. "Grandpa Happosai!" she exclaimed in shock.

"Where is the other one?" a grim voice asked.

Akane looked up at the man that had defeated the grandmaster of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. He was floating in the air and glowing an eerie green light. He looked ready for more.

"Other one? What other one?" Akane asked, not quite understanding.

"The young man that old fool was with!" he shouted. "Where is he!"

Akane raised her eyebrows as she realized what the man was asking. _He doesn't know that Ranma…_ She looked down at the red headed girl in her hands and tried to think of what to say. _If Happosai is no match, there's no way Ranma could…_

"Answer me!" the man demanded, breaking Akane's line of thought.

Akane looked up at the man hopelessly, not knowing what to say. "I… I…" she stuttered.

The man scoffed, having lost patience with the girl. "Damn! I've lost him!" he cursed before vanishing into a cloud of black smoke that blew away with the wind.

Akane blinked, not believing what she had just seen when the girl in her arms suddenly awoke.

"Ow," Ranma groaned while sitting up. She winced at the pain that was burning all over her body, but remembered why she'd received it. "Akane… are you okay?" she asked.

Akane was more concerned with Ranma than herself, and ignored the question. She looked her over closely, looking for injuries, but she seemed to be mostly okay. "Ranma… who was that?" she asked.

"I don't know," Ranma said. "I never got a name... is that the old letch?" she asked and pointed to the smoking midget next to them.

"Yeah..." Akane said.

"Oh man... I've never seen him this bad before," Ranma stood up and walked over to her defeated master. "We'd better take him home."

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Back at the Tendo household, Akane and Ranma sat next to a futon containing the unconscious Happosai. Usually, they would have reveled when the perverted master tasted defeat, but today's circumstances left many questions they needed to ask.

"You say he just suddenly appeared?" Akane asked Ranma while putting a cloth on the old man's forehead.

Ranma, now back in his normal male form, thought back to when he was about to square off with the old man. "Yeah," Ranma answered. "I didn't even notice him at first."

"And he attacked out of nowhere?"

Ranma thought back to the events of the battle and frowned. "Not unless you count insulting the pervert here first," he said, poking the still unconscious Happosai. "He really got the letch worked up and next thing I know, he goes completely ballistic with his happo fire bombs."

"I see…" Akane thought to herself while Ranma watched her curiously.

There was thing that bugged Ranma about the whole thing. "Why did he run off anyways?" Ranma asked, interested in how the fight ended.

Akane remained silent, thinking. After a moment of contemplation she answered him. "I'm not really sure," she said. "After defeating Happosai, he demanded to know where you had gone, and ran off when I had no answer."

"But I was right there!" Ranma shouted.

"He didn't know," Akane answered. "You were a girl at the time, and he seemed only interested in your boy form. He must not have seen you change."

"Huh? My boy form?" Ranma said, surprised. He wondered what the difference was to the ninja.

"Ranma…" a weak voice suddenly croaked.

Happosai had finally come to, but was still much too weak to speak easily. He did not move, but shook slightly as he tried to look at his chosen heir.

"Happosai," Ranma said, choosing to ignore his usual jabs and insults just this one time.

Happosai breathed deeply before speaking. "That man today… you'd best keep away from him," he said simply.

"What!?" Ranma stood up, fists clenched as if ready to fight. "You're telling me to run from a fight?"

Akane remained seated, but tried to reach up and pull Ranma down. "Ranma! Calm down!" she pleaded.

"But, Akane!" Ranma protested.

Happosai coughed and caught the two's attention once more. "You never listen to your master," he said weakly, "but listen to him now. This is one fight you should not confront."

"You're serious?" Ranma asked, completely shocked. Usually Happosai would be ordering Ranma to go out and hunt down the mysterious attacker. He would be demanding that his heir win back the school's honor. Ranma didn't understand how someone as battle hungry as Happosai could be so certain of him avoiding combat.

The door to the room suddenly slid open and an old voice cut in. "I'm afraid he's right, son-in-law," Cologne announced.

"Old ghoul," Ranma said, surprised to see her, and feeling more than a little nervous. Whenever she showed up unannounced, trouble was bound to be close.

Akane looked over and noticed who else had arrived with the old great grandmother of Shampoo's. "Dr. Tofu! Ryoga! Everybody!" she said, amazed.

Indeed, behind Cologne were the others that had been in the clinic when Akane had left. Along with them were both of their fathers and Ranma's mother. The group crowded into the small room and all sat around Happosai. The old grand master had passed out after his last words, and slept quietly in the center of their circle. Silence fell over them while they all waited for someone to speak.

"What's the big deal?" Ranma finally asked, still not understanding why he was being told to retreat by even the battle crazy Happosai. "What's so dangerous about this guy?"

"The man that attacked you today was no ordinary man," Cologne said grimly.

"Yeah, I gathered that," Ranma agreed. "He was a skilled martial artist."

"No," Cologne corrected the young man. "It's more than just that. I've heard what these two have had to say and felt this strange presence myself. We are not dealing with a man. We are dealing with a demon spirit."

"A what?" Akane asked for confirmation, not believing what she was hearing.

"It's true!" Ryoga said. "This morning, when I was attacked, it felt like nothing I had felt before. He had an aura cold as ice, and starving for something more. His attacks felt like they were sucking the energy from my body."

Ranma listened to his rival's words, but still didn't buy it. "That doesn't prove nothing!" he said. "Maybe he just has a technique like Hinako's happo five yen satsu."

"Even if it weren't true, that it is a demon," Mousse interjected, "this foe is more than you can handle, Ranma Saotome! His skills are unlike anything I've ever seen before!"

Everyone stared at Mousse as he pointed at Cologne. Before anyone could correct his mistake, the old Amazon elder cracked him over the head with her staff. She then turned back to Ranma.

"Listen to us, son-in-law," Cologne ordered. "I have felt this mysterious aura myself. There is more than just power there, or hunger, as Ryoga has explained. There is age," she said. "The aura this man emits is ancient."

"Age?" Akane said, bewildered.

"Ha! We all know auras don't give off someone's age!" Ranma said.

"Oh, but they do," Cologne said. "Battle auras are simply extensions of our own chi. Chi are made up of who we are, so they naturally also give off an age. You may not have been able to notice before, because it's not usually an important detail."

Ranma thought about what the old ghoul was saying, and had to admit she was right. He didn't care about the age of his opponents usually, just if they were good at martial arts or not. Even then, what did age have to do with anything? He wondered.

"What's more," Cologne continued, uninterrupted. "This mysterious aura lacks any human traits. It embodies only hunger and thirst, like a wild beast. That is why I am sure it is that of a demon."

"Ok, so what does it want?" Ranma asked.

Cologne closed her eyes in thought. "From what Ryoga and Mousse have told me," she said," he is looking for someone worthy. Of what, I do not know. I suspect that this hunger may have something to do with how its survived for so many centuries, however, and that's what troubles me."

Ranma thought about everything for a moment, and then punched his fist into his hand.

"Right," he declared. He stood up and announced, "I'll accept his challenge!" Ranma's chi flared outwards into a brilliant battle aura, radiating blue light. It was an impressive display of power, amazing most of the people surrounding him.

Nodoka in particular found her son's impressive display worthy of praise. She did so enjoy watching him act so manly. She hid her joyous smile, however, attempting to retain her modesty in the serious situation.

A sudden splash of cold water broke up the moment, transforming Ranma into a girl. Her aura shrank until it was nothing, and she spun around in the direction of the splash and glared at Akane.

"What was that for?" she asked, obviously annoyed.

"That man seems only interested in your boy form," she answered. "This should keep you safe."

"Idiot!" Ranma shouted. "I said I'd accept his challenge!"

Akane twitched angrily at the insult and stood to meet Ranma's glaring eyes. "Who are you calling an idiot!?" she asked. "Haven't you heard a single word everyone's said!"

"Yeah! I'm standing right here!" Ranma said, pointing at herself with her thumb.

"So, don't be stupid!" Akane yelled. "They're telling you not to fight this guy!"

"Heh, don't worry about me," Ranma said, now sounding cocky. "I can handle my own fights, thank you."

A water pale suddenly smashed Ranma in the face, promptly ending the argument.

"Who said I was worried!" Akane yelled.

"Uncute tomboy…" Ranma muttered from behind the pale.

"What was that!" Akane shouted, preparing to punch the redhead.

"Enough!" Cologne shouted, sticking her staff between the pair of arguing girls. "Now is not the time for," Cologne suddenly gasped and the room became cold.

Everyone could feel a strange presence was nearby. They heard a strange, growling sound as the light from the window was blocked. When they looked at the source of the shadow they saw black smoke seeping through the open window. The cold chill seemed to be coming from it, as was the strange growling.

Once it had fully entered, the smoke thinned, and the ninja that had attacked them earlier revealed himself from it. As he fully appeared, the smoke seemed to recede into his body, suggesting that it was the demon that Cologne spoke of.

Now in the light, and standing still, Ranma and the others got their first good look at him. His attire was every bit traditional Japanese garb for a ninja. His togi had armor along its shoulders, as did his tekko, and sune-ate. A sword was sheathed on his back. His face was masked, and his head hooded, leaving his identity concealed.

"Where is he?" the ninja asked.

No one answered. They all stared at the mysterious man, most of them in fear, but there was one who looked at him in defiance.

"I'm your guy!" Ranma declared. She dropped into a fighting stance and prepared for battle.

The ninja looked at the redheaded girl with little concern. He returned his gaze to the others and repeated his question. "Where is he?"

"I said I'm right here!" Ranma shouted, but was suddenly silenced when Akane covered her mouth with her hand. Ranma struggled to keep talking, but was held back, not just by Akane, but Shampoo too.

Ryoga got to his feet and faced the man. "You caught me by surprise last time," he said," but now it's my turn!"

"Ryoga! No!" Akane cried, but it was too late.

Ryoga ran at the man with his fists raised to attack. The man did not move from his spot and simply stood with his arms crossed as the young boy closed in on him. What happened next, no one can be sure. The man moved with eerie quickness, like no man possibly could. Ryoga punched thin air and was suddenly struck, but from where, he could not tell. Rather than feeling a fist impact his body, it felt more like it went straight through, leaving him frozen in pain.

"Ryoga!" Akane cried again.

Ryoga slowly dropped to his knees, barely hanging on to consciousness. The man stepped past him, laughing.

"Unworthy fool," he said coldly.

Those words cut into Ryoga, making him remember his bitter defeats, and fabricated nightmares of rejection. "You…" he groaned, feeling more and more depressed as the words ate into his soul.

The man looked down at the boy with mild amusement.

"What's this? Must I strike you down a third time?" he asked coldly.

Ryoga envisioned a third defeat and was filled with despair at such a thought, especially in front of Akane. He let himself be consumed by his depression and focused it into a ball of red energy.

"Shi shi hokodan!" he roared, releasing the ball upwards at the man.

The red light filled the entire room and blew the roof off of the Tendo household. As the dust cleared, everyone looked up to see that the man was unharmed by Ryoga's devastating chi blast. In fact, he looked rather amused by the attack.

"Impossible…" Ryoga said before fainting. The attack had drained him of everything he had.

Ranma stepped in front of Ryoga's fallen body and shouted up at the man. "Hey!" she shouted. "Come back down here and face me!"

The man did not allow himself to drop back down into the room and looked away from the pathetic group before him. "I have no need for a woman's body," he said.

At this, Ranma snapped. "Who said anything about giving you my body!" she cried, thinking of things far different than combat. "You sick pervert!"

Ranma leapt out of the hole in the roof and at the man floating overhead. The man made no move to escape as Ranma reached him, providing her the opening she wanted.

"Kachu tenshin amaguriken!" Ranma shouted. She let loose a barrage of dozens of punches, but the man was able to easily block and dodge them all.

"What the hell?" Ranma asked, amazed.

"Humph," the man dodged underneath Ranma's attack and struck her in the stomach. Just like Ryoga, Ranma felt like the blow went straight through her body, like a sharp blade. She lost focus and fell back down through the hole in the roof on top of Ryoga.

"Oh no, Ranma!" Akane cried, running to the fallen redhead.

"My son!" Nodoka cried. She joined kneeled next to Akane, whom lifted Ranma into her arms.

Ranma groaned in Akane's arms and could barely open her eyes. "Damn it…" she said weakly.

"Aiya! Airen!" Shampoo cried. The purple haired girl leapt out of the hole in the roof at the attacker with her chui drawn in both hands. "You pay for hurting airen!"

"Shampoo!" Cologne shouted, "No!"

The attack was over in an instant. Shampoo attempted to strike the ninja in the head with her chui, but he dodged it. Shampoo's attack had been so wide from her rage, she was left wide open to the ninja's spinning kick to the side of her head.

The force of the kick knocked her back through the roof, just like Ranma had been. She landed on the floor next to her and Akane. Unlike Ranma, however, she could not maintain consciousness.

Soun and Genma ran to the hole in the ceiling and looked up at the man floating overhead.

"What is it you want?" Soun asked, trying to sound stern.

"I do not answer to those who are unworthy," the man answered, rejecting Soun's request.

Genma thrust a fist in the man's direction and came to his friend's aid. ""Worthy of what?" he asked.

"Silence!" the man shouted. He began to glow an eerie green and drew out the katana from his back sheath. "I'm through playing with you insolent fools," he hissed.

Ranma watched the man move through barely cracked eyes. Her vision was blurred, so she couldn't make out what was going on. Her sixth sense, however, could still feel the flow of chi the man was sending to his sword. A sudden feeling of danger triggered her fully awake when she saw the man pull back to swing.

"Run for it!" Ranma shouted. she lifted Akane and her mother. She hoisted them over her shoulders while grabbing Shampoo and Ryoga by their collars and dragged them all from the pump of adrenaline in her blood.

While everyone ran out of the room, Happosai in tow of Tofu, the man swung his sword downwards towards where Ranma was still standing with the four supported by her. Ranma could not see the attack, but she could feel it. It was like a sharp blade splitting open the sky, and as she leapt out of the way, the entire room was cut in two.

The walls split apart, leaving a perfectly straight cut from ceiling to floor, and down to the first level. Tiles blew off the roof while the wood flooring burst open at the edge of the cut. The impact of whatever cut into the house was enough to toss Ranma, along with Akane, Nodoka, Ryoga, and Shampoo, but they were all unharmed.

Ranma landed in a crouch with Akane and her mom slung over her shoulders and held tightly by her arms. She had to release Shampoo and Ryoga in order to avoid any of them getting hurt when she dodged the attack.

Ranma saw the two unconscious teenagers on the floor beside them. Still unconscious, but unharmed. She looked up through the hole in the ceiling, but the man had vanished. The cold chill slowly faded until it was replaced by the normal warmth of the late spring day.

"He's gone," Ranma announced.

The others peeked into the room and slowly entered after confirming that the strange martial artist had indeed left. Tofu let Happosai back down on his futon and went over to Ranma and the other two, to tend to their wounds.

While he did so, Ranma was in deep thought, wondering just what that man wanted, and how she could stop him. _One thing's for sure_, she thought to herself. _I'll have to be a guy for him to face me._ "Ow!" Ranma suddenly cried. She bent over and grabbed his stomach where she had been hit.

Dr. Tofu was examining Ranma's wound when it happened and asked, "how does it feel?"

"Like there's something hot cutting into me," Ranma said, shaking in pain.

"Hmm…" Tofu adjusted his glasses and took a closer look at the spot Ranma was clenching.

"What is it doctor?" Soun asked, concerned over his future son-in-law's injuries.

"I'm not sure," he said. His tone was very serious, used only when he was very concerned, or truly perplexed. "There appears to be nothing physically wrong with Ranma. He has no bruising, which means there's no internal bleeding. In fact, none of these three appear to be hurt at all."

"But you healed them before," Akane said hopefully. "How did you do it last time?"

Tofu leaned back and crossed his arms. "I didn't do a thing," he admitted. "Eventually, Ryoga and Mousse just woke up and moved as if nothing had happened."

"Their chi," Cologne said.

Everyone looked at the elder with questioning faces, not quite understanding. The elder hopped over on her walking stick and looked over Shampoo very closely.

"That man's chi was thirsty, like a wild beast," she said, repeating what she had explained earlier. "These three were not attacked physically, but instead through their chi."

"What? Is that possible?" Genma asked.

Akane suddenly remembered another person that attacked through people's battle auras, and not through physical force. "It is!" she said. "It's like Ms. Hinako and her Happo five yen satsu."

"Not quite," Cologne corrected. "While this man's attacks do indeed strike at the opponent's chi like the happo five yen satsu, this one does not drain it. Rather, it appears to be cutting into it. It is inflicting pain, rather than draining one's energy."

"So that's why it felt like his attack went right through me," Ranma said. "He wasn't hitting my body at all. He was striking through my chi."

"This is most troubling," Cologne declared grimly. "I have not heard of any such attack in all my years of life."

"No way…" Ranma said, amazed. "Nothing at all?"

Cologne shook her head and took another puff from her pipe. "I can only assume it's one of the lost ancient arts from legends, or has something to do with the demon spirit within him."

"Whatever it is…" Akane turned to Ranma. "Ranma, stay a girl for a while."

"What? Are you nuts!" Ranma asked, not believing what she was hearing. She expected such a request from Happosai, but Akane? "I can't stay like this!"

"You have to!" Akane insisted. "If you turn into a boy, he'll come back for you!"

"We don't even know if he's after me," Ranma said, brushing off any such notion. Usually she took pride in being the focus of attention, but not if it meant she had to stay a girl.

"No, we don't" Akane admitted.

"But it is clear he is seeking out only males," Cologne added. "Son-in-law, I think it's for the best you grant Akane's request. Demons cannot exist in this world for long, usually, but this one clearly has. Whatever he is, he is dangerous."

Ranma stared forward and clenched her fists. "Fine," she conceded.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Rewrite complete on 12/7/2012. Nothing major was changed, except I added Nodoka in for consistency with the later chapters. I also elaborated and reworked some parts so they make more sense. I also rewrote the parts explaining the ninja, since they were originally pretty hokey.


	2. Courage

The next morning started like any other morning in Nerima. The sun rose slowly, bringing the first signs of light to the sleeping town. Birds chirped over their morning meals, and a cool breeze blew through the empty streets. On this glorious day, even the Tendo Dojo was quiet. Not a sound could be heard, save for the grunts and shouts from one female Ranma.

The red haired girl struck relentlessly at a straw dummy tied to a wooden post. Usually, she would not opt to use such a crude sparring partner, but she felt the need to vent some serious anger.

The situation currently required her to remain a girl for safety reasons, and it always pissed her off to be restricted like this.

"Stupid. Curse." Ranma shouted as she pummeled the straw dummy, enunciating each word. "Safety my ass! Ha!"

With a sudden kick, Ranma shattered the wooden post at the base and sent the dummy flying into the koi pond. The water gave only a small splash as the small bundle of straw fell in and floated back to the top.

The girl stood there, fists still raised, catching her breath. She watched the dummy float towards her in the small pond and wished she could still beat it a little more, but knew it was over.

"Damn it," she muttered, feeling frustration boil under her skin. She thought back t the previous day's events and felt like her body was on fire. She had been powerless to stop his friends and family from being hurt, a feeling she wouldn't soon forget. Being stuck a girl in order to hide only fueled Ranma's burning desire for revenge.

"Damn him!" Ranma cursed out loud.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter II: Courage**

* * *

Kasumi hummed to herself as she descended the stairs and entered the kitchen. Despite what had happened the previous day, she continued on with her morning duties like it was any other morning. She started the rice cooker and cut some vegetables for everyone to eat while boiling water for her dad's tea.

Ranma hadn't noticed that Kasumi had arrived downstairs to start preparing breakfast for everyone. She didn't even realize how much time had passed since she started her venting.

Kasumi was just bringing out some hot tea to steep in the living area when she noticed the red haired girl gazing into the pond. "Oh my, Ranma," she said sweetly. "You're up early this morning"

"Huh?" Ranma looked over to see Kasumi smiling at her with a tray of tea and two cups in her hands. "Kasumi… yeah, just a little morning workout," she said sheepishly.

Kasumi nodded and turned to put the tea down on the table. "Well, don't overdo it," she said in a motherly tone. "You need to let yourself heal."

Ranma sighed and retrieved the training dummy from the pond. She placed it on the ground and looked at her small hands. By now, seeing her female form wasn't shocking at all, but it was hard to come to grips with being in it for so long. It had only been one night so far, and there was no telling how much longer it would have to be.

Refusing to let herself get stuck in a depressed trance, Ranma returned to her workout, this time practicing katas on the stone walkway surrounding the pond. Still lost in thought, and slightly blinded with anger, Ranma wasn't paying attention to her movements, or the world around her. She didn't notice how sloppy and relentless her strikes were, and was completely taken by surprise when a leg kicked out in front of her and tripped her into the pond.

Genma had arrived downstairs, looking for his son, and was disappointed at her performance. He didn't need to even exercise stealth to get beside the girl and trip her, which meant things were bad; really bad. He watched the girl climb out of the pond, obviously annoyed.

"What the hell was that for?" Ranma asked, still spitting out water.

"Ranma…" Genma said grimly. "You've gotten sloppy!"

"Who asked you?" Ranma spat back. "It's not like I want to fight as a girl anyways!" Ranma suddenly saw her father haunch down on his legs. "Oro?"

Ranma screamed as Genma suddenly launched himself at her. She quickly rolled away and onto her feet as her father nearly ran her over.

Genma had no intention of letting his son whine like a girl. He would make him straighten up, even if he had to beat it out of him. "You can't let the situation break your focus, boy!" He said.

"Easy for you to say," Ranma said, annoyed at her father's comment. "You don't have to be a girl for god knows how long!"

And with that, the two began to duel. Unlike their usual morning workouts, however, Ranma lacked proper form, and any focus. Her strikes were wild, missing their mark, and making her look nothing like a martial artist.

Genma, on the other hand, was being very defensive, merely dodging Ranma's wild swings. Usually they would take turns at the offensive, providing a balanced practice, but Genma knew Ranma, despite what some may think. And he knew what Ranma needed right now was a blunt wake up call.

Ranma continued to punch and kick wildly, not thinking about anything at all, except how much she wanted to knock her dad into the pond. Despite her superior speed, however, it seemed Genma was able to easily dodge her attacks. _Stupid old man! _She cursed in her mind while doubling her efforts.

Genma noticed the increase in speed Ranma suddenly attacked with and grinned as he rolled so his back was turned to her. While doing so, he grabbed Ranma's arm and threw her into the pond once more. He watched the small girl fall into the pond with a triumphant splash and laughed. "Sloppy," he said, judgingly cold,

Without warning, the pond exploded and Ranma came flying out with her battle aura glowing bright blue. Her eyes were slits and tore into Genma with the most hate filled glare he had ever seen. The display was so surprising; he was completely frozen in shock.

"Now you've done it!" Ranma hissed.

Ranma seized the moment and punched her father in the face as she flew into him. The impact sent the bald man flying into the wall behind him, leaving a man shaped imprint as he flopped to the ground.

"Oh my," Kasumi exclaimed, having watched the entire affair. "They're always so energetic in the morning," she noted, smiling.

Genma twitched on the ground and muttered, "That's my boy."

Ranma ignored the comment and stomped into the house, soaked head to toe. She was mumbling under her breath as she made her way upstairs and into the bathroom. Without giving much thought to anything, she filled the furo with hot water and got in, turning back into her male form.

_Stupid old man! _He continued to rant to himself in his head. _Telling me I'm sloppy… Well excuse me for being stuck a girl!_ So lost in thought, Ranma still hadn't realized he had returned to being a guy, and stood to dry himself. A sudden sound to his right broke his train of thought and he looked over to see a pale of water tossed into his face.

Just like that, Ranma was a girl again. She stood there, frozen in shock, and naked. Her towel was over her head, and before her, Akane had an empty water pale in her hands.

"Wha… what the hell are ya doing!?" Ranma cried.

Akane lowered the pale and gave the smaller girl an annoyed look. "Ranma, you're not supposed to turn back into a guy right now!" She said.

"What? I didn't… huh?" Ranma looked back at the furo and noticed the steam coming from the hot water and suddenly realized what had happened. "Oh… I didn't realize… Hey, wait a minute!" Ranma pointed a finger at the other girl. "You walked in on me while I was naked!"

"I wasn't trying to look," Akane said, trying to sound as disgusted as possible. She, however, could not hide the slight blush on her cheeks.

"Heh, yeah right," Ranma teased. "We all know who has the better body." Ranma suddenly gave an innocent look and shook nervously to mock her. "I guess you just couldn't resist!"

Akane saw red at the comment. She pulled back her arm and threw the pale into Ranma's face hard enough so it dented and stuck to her forehead. "Idiot!" she yelled. She stormed out of the bathroom without another word and joined the rest of her family, and Ranma's parents, for breakfast.

When Akane sat down, Kasumi served her a bowl of rice and filled another for Ranma. She turned to give the bowl to him when she noticed his absence. "Oh, Akane, won't Ranma be joining us?" she asked.

Akane began eating with her eyes closed in frustration. "How should I know?" she asked.

"Well, you went up to get him from the bath," Kasumi said innocently, not realizing that no one else knew.

"What!?" everyone said in unison. They all collapsed and looked at the eldest Tendo daughter. Soun took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes with tears running down his cheeks.

"Is that really true, Kasumi?" he asked.

"Why, yes, father," Kasumi answered with a smile. "And she was in such a hurry to get him too," she added.

"Kasumi!" Akane cried, trying to silence her eldest sister.

"Saotome!" Soun called to his friend, overrun with joy.

"Tendo!" Genma cried in response, also filled with happiness.

The two grown men hugged and danced in circles over the news, obviously twisting it to suit their own plans. Ranma's mother sat and watched them celebrating with a joyous smile.

"Oh, my manly son," Nodoka said. She hid her smile behind her sleeve.

The two men broke their embrace and turned towards Akane. Akane's father kneeled next to her and took her by the shoulders.

"Akane, my daughter," Soun said, holding her shoulders like a father bidding a cheerful farewell. "You have made your father proud."

"What are you talking about?" she asked She was completely creeped out by their behavior. It was much too cheerful for her after what had just happened.

"Joining Ranma in the bath," he answered. "It is truly behavior befitting a dedicated future wife!" Soun stood up and held his fist in the air as if they had just won a contest.

"W-what!?" Akane could barely believe what he had just said. "No way! That's not what happened!"

"Akane, I had no idea," Nabiki said, looking at Akane with her elbows on the table. "Ranma has to remain a girl, and all of a sudden you're sneaking into the bath with him to get what glimpse of his male body you can."

Akane could feel her face turning red, and was barely able to think straight. "Sh-shut up!" she shouted, unable to think of any kind of retort to defend herself.

Nabiki was keen to pick up on her sister's mistake and gave her a mischievous grin. "Oh, but you're not denying it," she said pointedly.

Akane was fuming now, nearly blind with frustration. She felt like she was being attacked from all angles, and no one would rescue her. "It didn't happen like that!" she screamed.

Nabiki laughed as Akane began to stutter out any kind of explanation she could think up while Genma once again joined his friend in celebration.

"Come, old friend," he said. "Let us celebrate!" He presented two small cups of sake while hoisting his arm over the shoulders of his long time friend.

"Yes, Saotome! Let us!" Soun agreed, taking the glass from Genma's hand. "A toast!" He shouted in triumph.

"To the joining of our schools!" Genma declared, but before he could drink the sake, a foot stomped his face.

Ranma had arrived to the living area just in time to see their fathers break out the sake, and knew they were up to no good. A swift kick of justice later and Ranma was sitting atop a knocked out Genma while stuffing her face full of rice.

Soun was stunned by the sudden change in the mood, but was quick to take his place at the table. He didn't want his daughter to give him a similar punishment.

No one else, except Akane, seemed to notice Ranma's strange behavior; or they didn't care to bother with it. Now that the commotion had died down, everyone ate like it was another normal morning, just with one particularly loud eater. Akane, however, didn't eat, and just watched the girl next to her with worry.

Akane watched as Ranma ate at a frantic pace, even for her. Her face was angry, and the sounds of her chewing and swallowing were loud. The red haired girl appeared to be inhaling the food, rather than eating, and there was no end in sight.

"Slow down, Ranma," she said.

Ranma did not stop eating, and gave no immediate answer. She continued to shovel her bowl of rice into her mouth, with a pause every few bites to snatch a piece of meat or vegetables. "Mind your own business," she grunted through mouthfuls of food, finally. Her eyes were still transfixed on her bowl, causing Ranma to miss the raven haired girl's reaction to her rudeness.

Akane jerked back and gave a look of controlled anger towards Ranma.

"Excuse me?" she asked through clenched teeth. She had already balled her hands into fists and conjured a wooden mallet into them. The red haired girl didn't seem to notice as she continued to shovel food into her mouth.

"Why you…" Akane began to glow red and lifted the mallet over the girl next to her. Ranma, still eating relentlessly, did not notice the danger, so it completely surprised her when the mallet crushed her on top of her father.

"So uncute…" Ranma choked out from beneath the giant hammer.

Akane either didn't hear her, or pretended not to, and stormed off. "I'm off to school," she announced, leaving the others in complete silence.

"Oh dear," Kasumi said, finally. "Ranma, you'd better hurry, or you'll be late."

Ranma sat up cross legged and put a bag of ice over her head while staring outside. "No, way," she said.

Soun looked wide eyed at the girl, not recalling her ever leaving to get the bag of ice. He looked down at the spot Ranma had just been lying under the mallet and then at the girl sitting with her back to him near the edge of the room.

"But you have to go to school," Kasumi said, not sharing her father's astonishment.

"I'm not going," Ranma insisted, keeping her back turned to everyone.

"But," Kasumi was about to continue to insist that Ranma go to school when Ranma stood up and turned on her.

"Not like this!" she screamed. "I'm not going to school as a girl!"

"Ranma, don't raise your voice like that," Nodoka scolded her son.

Ranma looked at the warning in her mother's eyes and calmed slightly. "I'm still not going," she nearly growled.

Everyone stared at Ranma. No one said anything until Nabiki stood to leave.

"I'm off," she said simply.

"Have a good day, Nabiki," Kasumi smiled, like Ranma's outburst hadn't happened.

Nabiki waved with the back of her hand as she left, leaving just the five of them. Genma was still unconscious from Ranma's last kick while Ranma was nursing a bump on her head. Soun, Nodoka, and Kasumi were kneeling at the table in silence, the two women smiling as if they were a happy family.

"Ranma," Soun said calmly, breaking the silence.

Ranma didn't answer, but looked at the man seated at the head of the table.

Soun appeared to have recovered from his most recent shock, and was now kneeling calmly. He was drinking his morning tea and put down the cup before continuing.

"I understand your troubles," he said. "But, what do you intend to do as long as this is going on?"

"Heh, isn't it obvious?" Ranma asked, like anyone should have been able to guess. "I'm gonna train so I can beat that creep," she declared.

Soun did not immediately answer, and instead studied the girl standing before him. She wore a confident smile, and looked ready to go at it right then and there. Soun, however, could not work up any faith in the young martial artist.

"Do you truly intend to face this man?" he asked. His tone was still gravely serious, which took Ranma a little by surprise.

"Of course!" Ranma answered after recovering his resolve. "I'm not going to remain a girl forever to hide from him!"

"Oh, my son is so manly," Nodoka sniffed back a joyful tear.

"You better believe it," Ranma said, full of pride, but Soun wasn't convinced.

"There are other options," Soun said. His face was without emotion, like a teacher giving a student an important lesson.

"Hmm? Other options?" Ranma was curious. "You mean, an alternative to hiding as a girl?"

"Yes," Soun stood up and walked over to where Ranma was standing. He kneeled before the small girl before continuing. "That man is in search of worthy male opponents," he said. "So, you merely have to present yourself as someone unworthy and he'll go away!" he declared. His tone was not unlike the one he used when suggesting a way to beg his master for forgiveness.

"What!?" Ranma asked, disgusted.

Soun bowed low and began to grovel. "All you have to do is beg for mercy, and he'll discard you as someone unworthy!" he said.

Ranma stomped on Soun until he stopped his ridiculous display and stormed off without another word. Kasumi watched the whole scene without leaving her spot at the table and called to her father after Ranma had gone.

"Father," she said softly. "You're tea's going to get cold."

Soun could only groan in response.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Akane spent her day at school in distant thought. She wasn't surprised when Ranma didn't show up to school, knowing how he always refused to go there as a girl. Still, without Ranma, it felt like there was a void at the school, to Akane, at least.

Time dragged on as she neglected to pay attention to any of the lectures. She thought back to her arrival that morning, one of the rare occasions Ranma did not accompany her through the front gates. Kuno had been quick to notice the absence of the 'vile fiend' and made a scene out of it.

He started by drawing his bokken while stepping beside her and searching every which way for the pigtailed boy, spouting declarations of impending justice. When Ranma hadn't presented himself, Kuno proceeded to hug Akane and announce his undying love for her.

Akane hadn't noticed at the time, but without Ranma there, Kuno had been able to snuggle into her a second longer, but the end result was the same. With all of her might, Akane punted Kuno out of the school courtyard while she screamed for him to "get lost!"

As the event came to an end in her mind, Akane glanced over to Ranma's empty seat and sighed. Her eyes stared blankly, replacing the empty space with a half asleep Ranma. She watched him go from half asleep to full blown snoring and sighed again, not noticing the looks she was getting from nearby students.

Akane didn't notice, but there were whispers spreading through the room, and by the time lunch arrived, everyone was talking about what may or may not have been going on between her and Ranma.

Sayuri and Yuka called to Akane as the lunch bell rang. "Hey, Akane!" they shouted together.

"Come have lunch with us," Sayuri said.

"Uh, no thanks," Akane said. "I'm not feeling hungry right now."

Akane cracked a weak smile and waved as she left the room. She walked out to the courtyard, staring down at the ground the entire way.

"Akane!" a girl called.

Akane broke out of her trance and turned to see Ukyo running towards her. "Ukyo, hi" Akane said, trying to sound pleasant.

Ukyo caught up to Akane and bent over to rest her hands on her knees while she caught her breath. She was wearing her girl uniform this time, which she sometimes did during the hot summer weather. She picked up on Akane's false spirit and looked around for Ranma, already knowing he wasn't at school, but figured she could always hope. "Where's Ranma?" she asked.

"Ranma? He's uh…" Akane tried to think of how to best answer the question, knowing it would lead to more questions.

_Ukyo still doesn't know about Ranma…_ she thought to herself.

"He's not quite himself today," she said finally, giving a hesitant laugh.

"What's wrong?" Ukyo asked, concerned. "Is he sick? Did he get hurt!? Oh, my poor darling, Ranma!" Ukyo hugged herself as if she was holding Ranma.

Akane had to keep herself under control at Ukyo's comments, and struggled out her next answer. "Ranma is fine," she said through grit teeth.

"That's a relief," Ukyo said, wiping her brow like there had been sweat on her face. She placed her hands on her hips and looked at Akane with a smile. "So why didn't he come to school then?" she asked. "Are you two fighting?" she smirked.

Akane couldn't help but notice the slightest touch of hope in Ukyo's voice when she asked the last question. She started to turn a little pink from anger, but again, repressed herself. "Ranma isn't here, because Ranma won't go to school as a girl," she said.

"What? Then why doesn't he just turn back into a guy?" Ukyo asked.

Akane sighed. "It's a long story…" she said, turning her face down.

Ukyo looked at Akane quizzically.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

"What a day," Akane said as she got home after school.

After her encounter with Ukyo, Akane had soon caught wind of the wildfire of rumors spreading through the school. How their imaginations could come up with such a crazy story about Ranma being kicked out of the house for dishonoring her, and her missing him dearly, really escaped Akane.

She was used to the rumors, of course, but without Ranma there, she was left to fend for herself, and couldn't silence the crowds with a good 'ol smack to Ranma's head. Because of that, people were not convinced by Akane's insistence that everything was fine between her and Ranma, and that he was simply sick.

Sayuri and Yuka had been particularly insistent on getting more details during gym, and between classes, and even after school. Sometimes Akane wondered if they were even on her side.

Willing away here remaining frustration, Akane announced she was home. While she removed her shoes and set down her school bag, Kasumi came in to welcome her home.

"Welcome home, Akane," she said.

"Thanks," Akane answered. She walked to the living area, expecting to have some time to relax when she happened upon a disturbing scene.

The eating table had been moved to the far wall with the seating pillows piled on top. Genma and Soun were both lying in futons with bandages all over their bodies and towels on their foreheads. Next to them, Nodoka was kneeling by a wide array of medical supplies and a pot of hot tea.

"What the hell happened to them?" Akane asked.

"Nothing serious," Kasumi said as she kneeled next to her patients. "These two were so nice to spar with Ranma while he trained today."

"Trained?" Akane said the word in surprise as she examined the two men looking like they had just been hit by a car. "This is training?"

"Mmhmm," Kasumi nodded with a smile. "He's been training hard all day."

"But look at them!" Akane exclaimed. "Has he lost it!?" she asked, referring to Ranma.

"Akane," Soun called to his youngest daughter.

"Yes, daddy?" Akane kneeled next to her sister beside their father.

Soun struggled to look over at his youngest daughter and spoke very slowly. "Don't worry about these injuries," he assured her. "Ranma must train hard, if he is to defeat this opponent."

"But dad!" Akane balled her hands into fists as she protested. "You were there! There's no way Ranma could!"

At hearing Akane im[ply that Ranma had no chance at winning, Nodoka frowned. "You should have more faith in my son," she said.

"I do have faith, but..."

"Even still, he has to try," Soun stated, tears running down his cheeks suddenly.

Akane noticed the tears and could tell they were a mixture of happiness and sadness. "Dad…"

"He's so very brave," Soun said as he began to break down.

"Dad…" Akane repeated, not quite understanding this emotional response.

"Oh father," Kasumi smiled and set some tea next to him.

Soun eyed the tea through teary eyes, but did not take the cup. He instead looked at his youngest daughter and looked as if he were going to explode into tears.

"You see, Akane," Kasumi spoke up as their father completely succumbed to his tears. "Father simply refused to let Ranma train for this duel, but Ranma said something very special that caused father to change his mind right away."

"What did he say?" Akane asked. She couldn't believe Ranma was capable of saying anything that impressive, especially the way he had been that morning.

"Well…" Kasumi looked out towards the koi pond and smiled. "I don't remember," she said innocently.

Akane's face faulted, and she got up. Deciding she would check out the dojo, Akane excused herself and made her way there.

When she arrived, Akane couldn't help but notice the cracks and holes along the walls, and the sounds of a fierce battle within. Akane opened the door slowly to see Ryoga and Ranma, still a red haired girl, engaged in combat.

Ryoga was attacking with his umbrella while Ranma dodged from side to side. He was moving quickly to dodge each attack, refusing to block or parry, which seemed kind of odd to Akane.

Ryoga, for his part, was attacking constantly, as if to destroy Ranma. He thrust, swung, and kicked in an endless combination that Ranma dodged without retaliation.

This continued for a brief moment until Ryoga made a wild swing at Ranma's head. The petite girl ducked under the blow by bending her legs and sprang off her feet afterwards. Ryoga had already begun his next attack before Ranma's move, twisting his umbrella around to thrust it forward. Ranma had been expecting such a move and was ready. She flip kicked as the umbrella came at her legs, knocking it out of Ryoga's hands.

The lost boy spun back as he was disarmed and pulled out a hand full of bandanas mid spin. As he planted his feet back down, he threw them all together, releasing them in triangle formation.

Ranma rolled underneath the bandanas and went at Ryoga in a sprint. They met in a flurry of fists and kicks, leading Akane to think this was not training or sparring. Still, she stood back and watched quietly as the two rivals went at it.

Ranma and Ryoga fought much like they had the first time they dueled at Furinkan high school. Watching them back then had made Akane feel afraid for Ranma for the first time, and both of them had advanced so much since then. Their bodies had matured from a year of growing and training. Akane only ever saw Ryoga train for a fight once, but she knew Ranma trained twice daily, and it was showing now as she stood against the other equally as a female.

Ryoga was much stronger than Ranma when in his girl form, but Ranma's speed was something to behold. The already swift martial artist became more than twice as fast, allowing for hundreds of punches to Ryoga's one. This proved to be a major advantage as Ranma caught Ryoga and stunned him, leading to a relentless barrage of attacks and sent the boy tumbling to the ground in a heap.

Ranma dusted off her hands against each other and looked at her defeated opponent. The boy was completely dazed, but Ranma knew he could take it.

Akane, however, was not so sure. "Ranma," she shouted. "Don't you think this is a bit much for just training?"

Ranma looked at Akane for the first time since she had arrived to watch and squinted. The redhead turned around and clenched her hands into fists. "I need my opponents to come at me as hard as they can," she said.

"But look at Ryoga!" Akane cried, pointing at the nearly unconscious youth. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were taking advantage of his generosity."

"Akane," Ryoga choked as he got to his feet. "It's ok," he said.

"Ryoga…" Akane watched as the young man gave her a weak smile and turned around to face Ranma.

"Ranma is right," he said. "If he is to defeat this opponent, he must train as if his life were on the line! Here I come, Saotome!"

"Bring it on!" Ranma taunted back.

Ryoga raised his fist and charged at the small girl. He was shouting loudly as he began their duel anew, much to Ranma's delight.

Akane watched as the boy ran at his most bitter rival, not to destroy him, but help him train for what could be the hardest fight of his life. Ranma stood ready for Ryoga and also charged forward, meeting him mid-way through the dojo.

The pair grunted and shouted as they threw punches and kicks at each other. Just like before, however, Ryoga wound up on the ground in a heap while Ranma landed with barely a scratch.

"Ok, maybe that's enough now," Ryoga conceded. His voice was shaky, and it was clear that he was completely dazed from the beatings he had gone through.

Ranma had to admit, she was quite tired from training and sparring the entire day. She had only stopped to eat, and when she did, she wolfed down her food quickly before rushing back into the dojo.

"Right, thanks Ryoga," Ranma said while walking to him and Akane.

Ryoga got up slowly with some help from the two girls. He rubbed the back of his head and groaned as he stretched his body a little. "Don't mention it," he said with some effort.

Ranma grinned slightly and stretched a little herself, feeling sore all over. "I'm going to go take a nice hot bath," she announced.

"Ranma…" Akane said with edge in her voice. "No hot water," she reminded the redhead.

"Err, right," Ranma sighed. She dropped her head, looking defeated for the first time since Akane had come home and walked off without another word.

Akane watched Ranma leave the dojo, feeling sorry for her fiancé when she saw her become so downcast. Ranma would always be Ranma, but Akane couldn't help but miss his arrogant demeanor. Ever since the previous day, Ranma had been in the sourest mood Akane could remember, and him being a girl the whole time only made it that much weirder.

Ryoga noticed Akane had gotten lost in thought, and couldn't help but grin to himself. He had always known there was something there between the girl he loved and his rival, but his hope kept him from admitting it. Still, he knew now wasn't the time to dwell on such things.

"Ranma will be ok," he said.

Akane looked over to Ryoga to see him smiling ever so slightly. It was an innocent smile, and managed to reassure her just a little. "I know," she said.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ranma sat in the furo in silent thought. Dipping into the cold water was very unpleasant with how sore she was, but there was little choice, as she needed a bath, and hot water was now forbidden for her.

She tried to envision some kind of road plan for her training; think of ways to better her martial arts before facing this unknown opponent. Ranma racked her brain, but kept slipping out of focus as the cold water sent chills through her skin.

"This sucks," Ranma muttered.

Ranma leaned her head back against the wall and stared up at the white ceiling. She sighed and decided it was futile to remain in the cold water and got up.

After drying herself off, Ranma put on a tank top and boxers. She left the bathroom looking rather down, head hanging low. When she got downstairs into the living area, she saw that her father and Mr. Tendo were still resting with the eating table placed against the wall.

"Oh, hello Ranma," came Kasumi's voice.

"Kasumi," Ranma looked over to see her entering the room with a tray of tea.

The eldest Tendo daughter smiled and set the tray beside their parents. After replacing their towels she looked up to Ranma.

"Have a good bath?" she asked.

"Not really," Ranma replied.

"Well, do try to relax," Kasumi pleaded. "You don't want to overwork yourself."

"Right, thanks," Ranma said half heartedly. She watched the koi pond absentmindedly and sighed. The sun had begun to set slowly, leaving Ranma tired. "I'm going to bed," she said like she was conceding to defeat.

"Oh? Won't you be joining us for dinner?" Kasumi asked. She sounded a little worried, and had lost her smile.

"No, I'm not hungry," Ranma called back as she began to walk back to the stairway.

"Oh, well, do talk to Akane before you head to bed," Kasumi nearly shouted as Ranma began to climb the stairs toward the guest room. "She wanted to speak to you about something."

"Tomorrow," Ranma muttered, more to herself than to Kasumi.

When Ranma reached the guest bedroom she shared with her parents she kicked the sliding door open and closed it behind her. With a yawn, Ranma stretched her entire body before lying down on her futon slowly. Every inch of her body ached worse than she ever had in recent memory, but she didn't care.

Ranma quickly forgot the pain as she thought about every that was happening; what could happen. The strange ninja had an immense chi, and a level of control she had never seen before, which is what brought her back to Cologne's words of warning.

_An old demon spirit…_ she remembered. _Ancient arts lost to legend._

Ranma continued to keep her mind fixed on these thoughts as she slowly drifted off to sleep, ignoring the sounds of the inhabitants of the house, including Akane's.

* * *

**Author's notes: **You may have noticed I stopped referring to girl type Ranma as a he. I decided it just didn't make sense, and was more confusing. I hope you have enjoyed the story so far. Any comments are appreciated.

Rewritten to include Nodoka to match the later chapters.


	3. Focus

The Tendo household was resting silently in the late evening. Not a light was on, and the only stirring was when one of the many sleeping resident's tossed or turned in their bed. One red haired girl in particular couldn't stop her restless struggle, even when asleep.

The girl turned and tossed around her blanket while fighting off memories of the past two days. Her unconscious mind gave in to her fears, twisting the memories into some kind of sick joke. Rather than being worried for her safety, everyone seemed to not want her to fight because they found her laughable.

"He was right not to fight you," Akane had said smugly. "Just look at you, you're only half a man!"

Ranma looked at her slender hands, noting their pale complexion compared to her normal male form. She began to shake with anger, and fought back her tears of frustration.

"I'm a guy!" she cried.

"Ha! You sure don't look like one," Akane laughed.

Ranma was taken aback by the taller girl's remark. She was angry at the insults that were said, but couldn't bring herself to strike down the black haired girl. The image of Akane laughed as she glided backwards into the mist, replaced by the image of another person Ranma recognized.

Ryoga appeared next, smirking as he towered over the small girl. "I may have lost," he said somberly," but at least I was worthy of the fight."

Ranma lost it at hearing Ryoga's twisted laugh and swung at the boy whom always chased her. Her fist, however, hit nothing but air as the image of Ryoga vanished.

The images of more of Ranma's friends appeared, all pointing and laughing. They began to spin around her as their laughs echoed in her head, driving her to the brink of madness. In a rage, Ranma swung at them all, throwing her fists and kicks in every direction to try to fight off the nightmare.

The images vanished into a thick mist as Ranma's attacks struck through each one. One by one, the laughing figures popped away, until one remained. Ranma stopped when she saw Akane looking at her with a look of dread. Her eyes were watering like she was going to cry, and she was visibly shaking. The sight was enough to make Ranma freeze.

Akane's image changed as the girl halted her attack. The look of fear turned to an evil grin, and it appeared as if the area around Akane darkened.

"Weak," Akane said with a piercing gaze. "Unworthy."

Ranma ran at Akane, having recovered from her surprise. She prepared to strike the one person she swore she could never hit, fighting against the strongest orders from her heart to stop. _It's not her. _She told herself. _She would never say that_. Ranma shut her eyes, finding it too hard to look; even having convinced herself it was ok to strike at a nightmare using Akane's form.

The last remaining figure vanished before Ranma could reach her, leaving the red haired girl alone in the mist. She stumbled as she ran through the puff of mist that had just been Akane and looked around for anything else. Nothing was there, but fog and silence.

The sound of crying caught Ranma's attention. She turned and listened for the sound, following what she heard. After running for a moment, she came across Akane kneeling on the ground crying.

"Akane?" Ranma asked.

The girl didn't answer, instead continuing to cry as if no one had called her. She was trembling and appeared to be holding something to her chest.

Ranma tried to look over her shoulder, but couldn't see anything. She walked around the crying girl and kneeled down in front of her, but Akane's head and arms were completely covering what she was holding onto.

"Akane…" Ranma called again, wishing she would stop crying. Seeing her cry was always the one thing Ranma couldn't take.

Akane continued to cry when she suddenly choked out a single word. "Ranma…" she said weakly.

"Huh?" Ranma's eyes went wide at hearing her name. _She sounds so sad_

Them, Akane lowered her arms slightly and lifted her face to look at the redhead. "Why?" she asked.

"Why?" Ranma repeated, not understanding the question.

"Why did you have to fight him?" she asked.

Ranma suddenly lit up with the fire of defiance and gave the sad girl a firm gaze. "What the hell!? Just who do you think this is all for?" she asked.

Akane didn't answer, but instead revealed what she had been holding. The fog cleared from over her lap to show Ranma, as a male, laying there with his eyes closed. He did not appear to be breathing, and had blood splattered on his face.

Ranma's eyes went wide. The girl's fire had suddenly vanished as she took in the image of herself, presumably dead, in Akane's arms. She walked backwards a step, not able to accept what she was seeing.

"No way," she said.

"Why, Ranma!?" Akane cried.

Ranma backed away until Akane's crying image disappeared into the thick fog. She was in complete shock. Her mind had the image of her dead body burned into it, and her heart felt like a hand was clutching it tightly.

Ranma tried to forget what she had seen, but felt a chill run through her body as she backed into something. Slowly, she turned around, afraid of what she might see. As she came around, she was face to face with the man that had attacked him the previous day.

The man was more intimidating than before. His eyes were glowing red, and he was much taller up close like this. His aura was radiating a mysterious darkness that absorbed the mist. He looked down at the frightened girl and laughed.

Ranma felt like she was staring into the void of death. At seeing the man she suddenly felt weak, and memories of the piercing pain of his attack came back. She clutched her stomach where she had been hit the day and fell to her knees. She watched helplessly as the man pulled out his sword.

The sword was a short length katana. Its blade had a faint blue shine to it while the man twisted it to strike. Ranma wanted to run, but she couldn't. Her body was frozen in fear as the man drew forward and swung his blade, firing a green wave that Ranma recognized as the same one that ripped the Tendo house in half. She tried again to escape the, but as the wave of green light drew near, all she could do was scream.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter III: Focus**

* * *

Ranma screamed as she awoke. She sat up and opened her eyes to see her mostly empty room that she shared with her father. The room was nearly pitch black in the pale moonlight that came through the closed drapes, and there wasn't a sound to be heard except for the snoring of a couple other people in the room.

Ranma was the only person awake in the dark, empty room, covered in cold sweat. She was breathing hard and fast while clutching a hand to her heart. The dream had felt so real, and she was sure the pain had been.

Slowly, Ranma looked down at her hands as she caught her breath. They were shaking uncontrollably as Ranma stared at them. She studied her hands closely, noting how much smaller they were than her male form's. Even in the darkness of night, their milky skin was shining brightly. Ranma became lost in thought as she studied her hands until a loud snore snapped her out of it.

Ranma looked over to see her father snoring on his back in his panda form. The large black and white bear was snoring through its open mouth, looking completely content compared to the previous day.

Ranma twitched, a little peeved, and possibly jealous that she was restless while her father snored away.

"Well, look at you," she said, more to herself than to the panda, "sleeping all snug and cozy."

The panda was forced awake to a sudden stomp to his face. He grunted and mumbled incoherently as Ranma kicked him up off his futon and then booted him over his mother and to the far wall. The large bear rolled and tumbled until it slammed against the wall and then flopped onto its stomach. Amazingly, Nodoka didn't wake from the noise.

Still sleepy, the panda lifted a sign up asking "What did I do?" The panda rubbed its head, awaiting an answer, but found itself too tired to bother with it and let the sign drop. Within seconds, the panda was back to snoring, curled into a ball beside the wall.

Ranma just glared at the panda with her arms bent as if to pounce. She wasn't sure why she had attacked her father, but it felt good. As the panda drifted off again with no retaliation, Ranma turned to the sound of another snore.

At the other side of the room, Ryoga was wrapped up in his sleeping bag. He had been staying at the Tendo's ever since the mysterious man had attacked them. After he had recovered, he meant to leave, claiming he didn't want to be a burden, but upon hearing of Ranma's situation, decided to stay. While there was no spoken agreement, Ryoga jumped right in to help Ranma train, for unknown reasons. Ranma didn't complain. It meant she could beat on him without having to worry about any consequences.

Ranma suddenly remembered Ryoga's cruel laughter from her nightmare and cursed under her breath. She concluded it was useless to try sleeping again and decided she would go outside for some fresh air. Before leaving, she put on her usual black slacks and her red Chinese vest. After one last look at the three snoring inhabitants, Ranma grunted and slid the door shut.

Despite how frustrated she was, Ranma knew better than to stomp around the house at this late of an hour, so she was careful as she made it downstairs. She tip toed slowly past each door, and let out a breath she had been holding when she finally made it to the front door. She stepped outside, closing the door behind her and stuffed her hands into her pockets while she kicked a small stone across the walkway towards the front gate.

"Damn, what is happening to me?" Ranma asked herself.

She pulled out her hands and looked down at them, searching for some kind of answer she thought may have been within their tiny grasp. The silence was deafening to her, and when her hands provided no spark of revelation, Ranma let out a frustrated groan.

In past struggles, Ranma had always at least had a focus. He always had something to guide him in his quest to better himself, but this time he was at a loss. There was no new technique that Cologne could give him, and the old pervert was still unconscious from his own injuries. Just that fact alone was troubling enough for Ranma. In all the battles he'd seen, not once has his perverted master needed so much time to recover.

Ranma now began to reflect on what he did know. His opponent was strong, and possessed techniques he's never seen the likes of before. Ranma desired a rematch with the man, but knew it wasn't time just yet. Until that time, he would remain a girl to prevent the uneventful reappearance of the ninja, whom seemed to be after male opponents only. This last detail is what frustrated Ranma the most.

The last time he was trapped as a girl it had been forced on him, not by choice. That had been a worse hardship, but at least he had something to aim for to win back his manhood. This time, there was nothing. This was a choice he had agreed to, albeit not completely willingly, and he would stick by his word. Until he was prepared to fight, and defeat, the ninja, the 'demon', he would remain a girl in hiding. The problem was knowing when he would be ready.

"What am I supposed to do?" Ranma asked the cool night air. She was starting to lose it again, frustrated at her complete loss of direction.

Ranma held back her scream by gritting her teeth hard. She threw her hands over her head and looked up, ready to burst. She glared at the moon, waiting desperately for an answer, a sign. That's when she noticed the window just below it.

"Akane?" Ranma asked herself, noticing the window that belonged to her fiancée's room.

Akane's window was letting out a faint light, appearing as the sign Ranma was searching for in the navy blue sky. Ranma gazed at the window in a trance, wonder in her eyes.

"Hmm…" Ranma wondered out loud and hopped onto the tree branch just outside of Akane's window. From this angle, the moonlight didn't shine off of the glass, allowing Ranma to see inside. She peered into the dimly lit room, noticing her fiancée's sleeping form.

Akane was fast asleep, except she wasn't in bed. The raven haired girl was sitting at her desk, still dressed in her school uniform, with the study lamp on. A note book was open underneath her crossed arms, which were crossed to serve as a pillow for her head.

Ranma watched her tomboy fiancée sleep from the window, wondering what could have kept her up until she passed out at her desk. She noticed the state of the room around her. Pencils were broken across the desk while the bed was a mess, despite it not having been slept in that night. Ranma took all of this in when a movement brought her eyes back to the sleeping girl.

Akane seemed to be having a dream of some kind. Her brow wrinkled as her eyes were shut more tightly. Ranma couldn't hear through the window, but could have guessed Akane was probably groaning by the looks of her face.

As the youngest Tendo daughter continued to stir, Ranma sighed and checked the window to see if it was locked. It slid open, which didn't surprise Ranma. She knew it would be unlocked if Akane had fallen asleep at her desk.

"Idiot," Ranma said quietly while leaning through the window.

The redhead hopped into the room, grabbing the top of the window and making sure to flip over Akane. She landed lightly on her feet, barely making a sound on the soft carpet, and turned back to the other girl. Carefully, she pulled Akane's seat away from the desk and lifted her up. She cradled Akane's head in her hand and carried her to her bed. After letting her down gently, Ranma covered her with the blanket and shut off the desk lamp.

With Akane now in bed, Ranma was left to wonder to herself in the dark. She needed something to get her mind off of things, but with everyone asleep, there weren't many choices. Ranma glanced over to Akane's alarm clock. It read 3:00AM.

Ranma decided she had no other choice and left Akane's room through the door. She walked back to his own room and over to Ryoga.

The lost boy looked like an innocent child in the sleeping bag, as if sleep were the most precious time of the day for him. He looked truly happy as he snored with the faintest smile, but this did nothing to change Ranma's mind.

"Hey," Ranma said while softly nudging Ryoga with her foot.

Ryoga did not wake up. He rolled over to the nudge and snuggled Ranma's foot with his face. "So soft," he mumbled.

Ranma could feel herself getting hot, not from embarrassment, but anger. There was only one thing that came to mind when Ryoga had said that, and it had to deal with a certain someone across the hall. The images that came to mind screamed for retribution, but Ranma was able to just barely control her fury.

"Hey!" Ranma shouted while kicking Ryoga over onto his face.

Ryoga yelped as his face hit the floor and crawled out of his sleeping bag.

"What the hell?" he asked.

Ranma was standing over Ryoga with her arms crossed over her chest. She was glaring at him through eyes that conveyed a mixture of anger and frustration, both of which came to Ryoga as a surprise.

"Ranma?" Ryoga asked while rubbing his head. "What do you want? It's still early." He yawned.

"I can't sleep, let's spar," Ranma said plainly.

Ryoga stared at the redhead like he didn't understand. He blinked a few times while taking in the situation. He could barely see Ranma's pale skin in the darkness of night, even now that his vision had cleared from being awake for a minute. His body felt heavy, and sore from the previous day's vigorous sparring, and just rolling over to look up at the girl made him pay with a groan. There was no way he could spar in the shape he was in.

Having decided, Ryoga rolled back over in his sleeping bad and curled up in its warm embrace. "We'll spar in the morning," he said.

Ranma growled at hearing Ryoga's answer and lifted the boy within his sleeping bag.

"I said, let's spar!" she said sternly.

Before Ryoga could protest, he found himself upside down as the girl flipped over the sleeping bag. With a sudden yank, the boy was dropped from the bag and fell onto the floor with a loud thud.

Ranma threw aside the sleeping bag as Ryoga rolled onto his back. She planted her hands on her hips and watched, waiting for the boy to get to his feet.

Ryoga had had it. He was furious now, and didn't feel groggy anymore. He floor kicked himself onto his feet and stepped up to the small girl, glaring as his face drew within inches of hers. His body became hot, and he had to restrain himself from attacking the stubborn girl right then and there. His aura flared into a brilliant red fire around his body, reflecting his current mood.

"What the hell is your problem?" Ryoga demanded. He was baring his fangs as he spoke, and each word had a slight growl as they were said.

"That's more like it," Ranma said. She cracked a smile and pointed to the door behind her with her thumb. "Let's go."

Ryoga glared harder at the stubborn girl, nearly losing his control. He clenched his fists tightly and took a step closer, towering over her.

"Now, listen here," Ryoga growled. "I'm going to get some sleep… and when I wake up, I'll be more than happy to beat you into a pulp!"

Ranma stared back into Ryoga's eyes as the boy tried to intimidate her. Her eyes were cold as ice, and she remained unmoved by the threatening display. But, deciding that it was better to wait than to risk waking the whole house by initiating a full out brawl in the bedroom, Ranma conceded to Ryoga's proposal.

"Better not lose that fire," Ranma said smugly. "I'll be ready!"

Ryoga glared at the confident girl and wanted so badly to shut her up, but the wear on his body began to come back, and his aura fizzled. The boy didn't say a word as he crawled back into his sleeping bag, but did say something as Ranma turned to leave the room.

"I'll be more than ready," he said, outdoing Ranma's own confident claim.

Ranma paused at the door and turned back to look at her rival. The boy had his back turned to her and appeared to have already fallen back to sleep. Ranma grunted and walked out without another thought of sparring, but once she was in the hallway, began to wrack her brain.

_Now what am I supposed to do!? _Ranma thought to herself as she once again threw her hands over her head. The girl walked downstairs, preoccupied with her own thoughts. She wandered back outside to the koi pond and stood there with her hands on her head. Now completely lost in her frantic thinking, Ranma began to mutter to herself about anything and everything that was, and wasn't happening in her life.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Akane awoke slowly and sighed. She had been having disturbing dreams, but couldn't quite remember them. They were sad, and confusing to her, and left her with an empty feeling in her heart when she awoke.

Akane thought hard to remember what her dreams had been about when she noticed she was in her bed.

"I don't remember getting into bed," she said to herself.

She then noticed that although covered by a blanket, she was not dressed for bed. She sat up and removed the blanket to reveal her school uniform and stared at herself blankly.

"I wonder who tucked me in," she wondered out loud.

It was then that a cool breeze blew over her and directed her to the open window. Immediately, the person who had tucked her in came to mind, because it could have been no one else.

"Ranma?" she asked to the cool air.

Akane got out of bed and put on her slippers. Her clothes were uncomfortable, having been worn for so long and then slept in, but she didn't want to waste time changing out of something she would be putting back on very soon. She walked over to the window and was about to shut it when she heard a voice below.

Akane listened closely to the voice. She couldn't make out a word it was saying, but it sounded frustrated, and female.

"Ranma?" she asked again, although not loud enough for the girl below to hear her.

Akane closed her window quietly and made her way downstairs. She tried to make as little noise as possible to not disturb anyone and quietly walked outside. She listened closely for the muttering, and heard it come from around the corner.

The muttering was still too distant for her to make out, but Akane was sure that it was Ranma now. The aggravated muttering had a very male spin to it, despite the female voice spitting it out. She quickly walked around the house to the back yard and saw the red haired girl standing by the koi pond.

Ranma was muttering to herself incoherently while thrashing her head about in every direction. Her hands looked like they were going to rip her hair out, but Ranma did not seem to notice. She was pacing back and forth, turning each time one mutter stopped for another one to start.

Akane watched the young girl for a moment, trying to make sense of what was going on. Her movements were erratic, and her muttering was still indecipherable, even this close. What was more, even though Ranma had been alone, and didn't know Akane was watching, she appeared to be muttering to someone other than herself. Finally, Akane decided she needed to bring Ranma out of her senseless banter.

"Ranma," she called out softly.

The redhead suddenly stopped stone cold in her ranting. The voice took her by surprise, but her freeze was from a mixture of shock and embarrassment. She hadn't realized anyone had snuck up on her, and what was worse, hearing the voice suddenly made her realize how crazy she must have appeared.

_And in front of Akane, of all people!_ Ranma thought to herself in panic.

"Uh, hi," Ranma said sheepishly as she fought to regain her composure. "What're you doing up?" she asked.

"I heard you muttering from my window," Akane said, obviously concerned. "I decided to come down and see what you were doing."

"Oh…" Ranma felt ashamed at hearing that she may have woken Akane up. "Sorry, guess I kinda lost myself there."

"It's ok," Akane said. She didn't know why, but for some reason she was feeling a little bashful all of a sudden. "I was awake anyways."

The two girls stood in silence for a moment, neither one looking the other in the eyes. Akane had taken to looking down at her feet while Ranma returned her gaze to the stars.

"Oh," Akane said, breaking up the silence. "Thank you for tucking me in," she said, feeling a slight blush enter her cheeks.

Ranma took her eyes from the stars and glanced over to the girl standing a few feet away. She looked nervous, with her arms crossed behind her back and her right foot fidgeting behind her slightly. She wasn't making eye contact with her either, keeping her face towards the ground, and looking quite anxious. Ranma was curious about Akane's behavior, but was also still letting her own, confused thoughts fly through her head, and decided not to pursue.

"No problem," she said simply. She turned back to look down at the koi pond and watched the moon distort in its ripples.

"So, uh…." Akane paused. She wanted to ask Ranma a lot of questions, but she didn't know where to start. Here now, alone, it was the perfect chance to talk with her troubled fiancé without any interruptions, but now she found herself at a loss for words.

"Kasumi said you wanted to speak to me," Ranma said plainly, having remembered what the eldest sister said to her before she went to bed.

Akane perked up a little, having been presented an opening for discussion. "Yeah… it's about what's been going on," she said.

"Well, shoot," Ranma said. She held her hand out, showing she was ready for whatever the raven haired girl had to say, but kept herself facing the pond. She then crossed her hands behind her head and looked upwards at the sky. She appeared uninterested in what the girl had to say, but was listening intently.

"I know you want to win," Akane said, feeling dread fill her chest at the thought of Ranma fighting the man that had so easily defeated everyone. "But are you sure this is a good idea?"

"How do you mean?" Ranma asked, still not looking at Akane. Her voice was cold, carrying a slight edge to it, as if to warn her of what she was asking.

"Well…" Akane paused, thinking of the best way to word her next question. She knew Ranma's pride was easily stirred, and didn't want the girl making any rash comments. "Are you sure fighting this guy is the best idea?"

Ranma darted her eyes to Akane. The look in her eyes told her that she had struck a cord. They were astonished; possibly offended that she had even mentioned the option of not fighting back.

"You can't be serious," Ranma said. She glared at the youngest Tendo and studied her closely, reading her intentions. Within seconds, she could see that Akane was not joking. "You are!" Ranma cried.

"Ranma, please!" Akane pleaded. She took a step forward and held her hands to her mouth. "Just think about it," she said. "Whoever that… _thing_ is, it means trouble."

"Don't you think I know that!?" Ranma spat back. She was starting to lose her temper, and was speaking before thinking through her words.

"I know you do," Akane admitted. She suddenly found it hard to look at Ranma's face and turned her head away. She was absentmindedly fumbling her fingers around while she averted her gaze. "But… you always jump into these situations, and I don't think you should this time."

"And what am I supposed to do?" Ranma asked, nearly shouting. "Stay a girl forever!? Some husband that'd be!"

Ranma had done it. She had said one of the few things that could flip Akane's world upside down. All thought of what the conversation was about had been blown to dust by Ranma's harsh words, and Akane instinctively gave her retort.

"Who said this had anything to do with marriage!?" Akane asked, now equally as angry as Ranma.

"You're right!" Ranma replied, now lost in the heated argument. "Obviously you're hoping I chicken out and decide to remain a girl! Then you won't have to marry me." Ranma's eyes were filled with anger as she spoke, unaware of what she was really saying, but she wasn't finished yet. Her expression suddenly changed, eyes closed with a cocky smirk. "Not that I'd miss you," she said while waving a dismissive hand at the girl.

Akane's train of thought had once again been derailed. Her inner instincts had gone from attack to kill, and her brain had turned a blind eye to what her body was doing. In an instant, Akane gave Ranma the hardest slap she had ever given. The sound of her hand hitting Ranma's cheek echoed in the night sky like a gun going off, but Akane did not hear it. She heard nothing as her mind was screaming.

_Ranma, you jerk!_ She thought to herself.

Ranma didn't see the attack coming, having looked away after delivering the insult. When it struck her, the pain was immense. So powerful, Ranma could have sworn her soul left her body for the briefest second as her body was thrown by it.

Time seemed to hang in place as Ranma found herself hitting the ground. All at once, the reality of what was happening came crashing down. She was in obvious pain, but at the same time wondering why she had said what she did.

"Do what you want!" Akane shouted, looking down at the ground, still furious. She looked up to look at Ranma, revealing her tear rimmed eyes. "See if I care!"

Akane ran back inside and up to her room before Ranma could say anything else. She jumped onto her bed and hid her face into her pillow as she began to cry.

_Why does he always have to be such a jerk!?_ She asked herself as she continued to sob into her pillow. She didn't know why it always hurt so much, but what was becoming clear to her was that it was starting to hurt more and more.

Ranma, meanwhile, sat on her head in forced meditation. Her arms were crossed over her chest while her legs were crossed as if sitting on a pillow. Her eyes were open, focused on the wall across the pond from her. She had been thinking over what had just happened, but couldn't remember it all too clearly. She remembered saying some harsh things to Akane, and the pain that followed, but couldn't make sense of the meaning behind either of their words. One thing she did decide, that it was Akane's fault for starting the whole thing in the first place.

"Stupid tomboy," she muttered.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

As daybreak happened upon the slowly awakening Nerima, Kasumi got up to start her morning duties. She went from door to door, awakening her family. Soun and Nabiki both muttered their good mornings while getting up to Kasumi's calls, but upon entering Akane's room, Kasumi couldn't help but notice her state.

Akane was crying, not having stopped since her argument with Ranma that night. The young girl had been on the verge of crying herself to sleep numerous times that night, but each time she found herself thinking about Ranma's words, and the pain came flooding back to fresh tears.

"Akane, what's the matter?" Kasumi asked, now kneeling beside her sister's bed. "Why are you crying?"

"It's Ranma," she said through stifled tears. Akane tried her best to get herself under control. She didn't want anyone to know she had been crying, but didn't realize so much time had passed. "Why does he always have to treat me like this?" she asked.

Kasumi knew what Akane was referring to. Ever since Ranma had come into their lives, the young man had treated her youngest sister with a mixture of disinterest, and amusement. Beyond those immature traits, however, Ranma had also always been protective of Akane, and respectful, despite Akane's claims about his perversions.

"Akane," Kasumi said softly. She placed her hand on the girls shoulder and rubbed like a mother would. "I know Ranma says some mean things to you."

"Some!?" Akane asked, obviously trying to hint that it was much more than that.

"But I know deep down inside he cares about you," she said.

Akane managed to halt her tears to a sniffle and looked up at her oldest sister. Kasumi was smiling warmly, and it gave her a feeling of comfort. Akane hugged her sister and broke down again, wanting so much for the pain to stop. "Then why does he have to say those things?" she asked.

Kasumi reflected on Akane's question, and her motherly instincts had a theory, but not an answer. Kasumi herself was inexperienced in love, and didn't want to make any suggestions that could be wrong and only lead to more arguments.

"I don't know," she said. She took her sister and held her by the shoulders so she could look her in the face. "But, Akane, just remember. All relationships are two sided."

Akane managed to fight down her tears to a sniffle again and wiped them away as she listened to her sister. She wanted to be alone, but at the same time, wanted Kasumi to stay and comfort her.

"We didn't ask for this relationship," Akane said, trying again to deny what was forced upon her.

"But you also haven't asked to get out of it," Kasumi said pointedly. "Don't forget, father said it didn't matter to him which one of us married Ranma."

"Oh Kasumi," Akane said, almost sighing. "We both know it's going to be me that marries him."

Akane didn't realize what she was saying. She meant to say that everyone in the house knew that neither Nabiki nor Kasumi would work with Ranma at all, but had worded it completely wrong.

"There, you see? You do like the arrangement," Kasumi said brightly.

"What!? No way!" Akane protested. She, despite her words, blushed a light shade of red, and all the pain had washed away to embarrassment.

Kasumi giggled and released her sister's shoulders. She looked at her sister's pink face, a mixture of sadness and embarrassment. The tears had stop running, which was enough for now. Kasumi knew only time would allow Akane to recover, as she always did.

"Well, whatever the case, please try and work your way through this," she said, finally.

Kasumi stood up and helped Akane up from the floor. The two sisters smiled at each other, speaking a silent understanding, and Kasumi made her way to the door. Before she left, she turned back to her sister to say one last thing.

"Please join us for breakfast today, Akane," she requested.

Akane nodded and watched her sister leave the room. She looked out the window at the brightening sky and thought about what had just happened.

In the past, Akane had always kept to herself when it came to Ranma and her feelings. No matter how angry or sad she got because of him, she would always hide in her room, and refuse to allow anyone inside her emotions. This time, however, she wasn't able to control her feelings, and broke down completely. It had felt like a torrent of water was bursting out of her, consuming her in its wake, and all she could do was pour out her soul with it.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Kasumi hummed to herself when she got downstairs to the kitchen. Despite the troubled state that Akane was in when she went to her room, the conversation left Kasumi with a warm feeling. While the relationship Ranma and her youngest sister shared could be best described as combustible at face value, she knew there was something good there too. The two just needed the right chance to show it. Kasumi had faith that the time would come soon enough, and forgot about her sister's troubles as she began to prepare breakfast.

The sound of activity above her let her know everyone had finally gotten out of bed. She could hear two sets of quiet feet; most likely belong to Nabiki and her father, as well as a pair of rather heavy, slow moving feet, meaning Mr. Saotome had awoken as a panda this morning. What was absent was the sound of a quick pair of feet that would signal Akane leaving for her morning jog, which didn't surprise Kasumi.

Kasumi ignored the lack of noise in the early morning activity above while she started to cook the vegetables. She worked diligently and greeted each family member as they arrived downstairs in kind.

Her father was first, coming in after retrieving the morning paper. He bid good morning to his oldest daughter with a bright smile and made his way to the living area. There, he couldn't help but notice a small redhead sitting on her head with her back facing the room.

Ranma had been sitting in aggravated meditation since her spat with Akane, and had no concept of the passage of time. So lost in thought, she hadn't noticed the disappearance of the moon, and the appearance of the rising sun. So oblivious to the world around her, Ranma hadn't heard any of the footsteps from the second floor, nor the sound of Kasumi cooking just down the hall.

Soun walked over to the open doorway leading to the koi pond and glanced down at the statuesque girl. She looked angry with her pursed lips and scrunched brow. Her arms were crossed on her chest like she was contemplating something in particular.

"Ah… Ranma?" Soun asked earnestly, seeing if he could be of assistance to the obviously vexed youth.

Ranma did not give an answer. She remained perfectly still, leading Soun to believe she hadn't heard him

"Um… excuse me, son," he said, deciding on a different tactic.

Again, Ranma offered no reply, which convinced Soun that it was useless. He returned to the living area and sat at the eating table with his paper. As he began to read the morning news, Kasumi walked in with a tray of tea.

"Here's your tea, father," she said happily.

"Ah, Kasumi, thank you," Soun exclaimed. He looked over his paper at his daughter and flashed a warm smile.

Kasumi returned the smile and bowed while her father poured some tea for them both to enjoy. As she glanced over to the pond, she noticed Ranma for the first time, which surprised her.

"Oh my," she said. "When did Ranma come down?"

Soun glanced back over to the meditating girl and shrugged his shoulders. "He was here when I got here," he said.

Kasumi studied the young girl and remembered her conversation with Akane. It had suddenly occurred to her that she never even found out what it was the two had argued about, but seeing Ranma in such deep meditation gave her a feeling it must have been pretty bad. Kasumi watched Ranma for a moment, curious about what she may have been thinking about.

Ranma continued to meditate, or more accurately, let his mind stew until it boiled. She was having difficulty stringing together a line of thought, but it didn't seem to bug her one bit. She kept thinking back to her argument with Akane, Ryoga thinking about snuggling Akane as P-Chan in his sleep, and to his own nightmares. These thoughts were swirling in her head like a whirlwind, but the girl remained still in meditation.

Kasumi decided she'd better get back to cooking, and left her father and Ranma to their activities. As she returned to the kitchen, she noticed Nabiki arriving downstairs and bid her good morning.

"Good morning, Nabiki," she said cheerfully.

"Morning, Kasumi," Nabiki returned, although not warmly at all. The middle daughter was not a morning person. She walked past Kasumi to join their father in the living room, leaving Kasumi to herself.

Kasumi noticed the rice had finished cooking and opened the cooker. She waited a moment to let the steam rise out of the cooker and then scooped some rice into three small bento boxes before shutting the lid. She then put vegetables and pork into the bento boxes and sealed them while putting the remainder into large bowls to be served for breakfast.

After placing the items on a large tray, Kasumi made her way back to the living room and began to scoop out bowls of rice for everyone to eat. When she had finished, she then placed the vegetables and meat in the center along with some side condiments and then called for the remaining people in the house.

"Akane! Mr. and Mrs. Saotome! Breakfast is ready!" She called.

Genma Saotome came running into the room like a child and sat at his place at the table. He took the bowl Kasumi offered him and thanked her before digging in.

Soun and Nabiki joined Genma in eating, as Nodoka walked in, although more slowly and quietly. She sat beside her husband and thanked Kasumi for the meal.

Kasumi waited patiently for Akane to come down, leaving her bowl sitting in front of her while the others ate. When the raven haired girl arrived, Kasumi greeted her with a 'good morning' and offered her a bowl of rice.

Akane said "morning," but did not take the bowl. Her attention was focused on Ranma, whom was still sitting on her head with her back to everyone.

Soun and Genma were too busy eating and reading the paper to notice, and Kasumi just waited patiently for Akane to sit down. Nabiki, however, couldn't help but stare at Akane.

She studied her younger sister from head to toe, noticing everything that was out of place. Her school uniform was a wrinkled mess, looking like she had slept in it. The girl's raven black hair was unkempt, and her face was a little pink with red rings around her eyes. It became obvious to Nabiki that Akane had been crying recently, but what was more interesting to her were the emotions on her face.

She hadn't seen that look on Akane's face much. It was more than sadness. Nabiki could see the faintest look of longing, for what though, she didn't know. Usually she would pry into her sister's private life, and tease some information out that could be useful, but this was one time she didn't think it'd be a good idea. Deciding to let Akane off, Nabiki returned to eating her breakfast while Kasumi urged for her sister to sit down.

"Akane, dear," Kasumi called sweetly.

Akane looked over to her sister, who was still holding out a bowl of rice for her. She apologized quietly and sat down at the table, leaving one empty spot between her and Genma. Akane ate slowly and quietly, not really tasting the food. Her body felt hollow, and her mind was still a mess from the previous night.

"Oh," a voice suddenly said, breaking Akane from her blank stare. It was Kasumi. "Wasn't Ryoga still staying here?" she asked.

"Oh yeah," Akane said. "Mr. Saotome, did you wake him?"

Genma swallowed his mouthful of food and looked up to the ceiling as he thought about the boy who always challenged his son. "I did," he said.

"Where is he then?" Akane asked. No one seemed to notice, but her voice was empty, lacking any genuine emotion at the moment.

"I don't know," Genma admitted. "He said he was heading downstairs when I was headed to the bath."

"That's strange," Kasumi said. "I was downstairs when you all got up, and never saw him come down."

"The idiot probably got lost," a rather irritated girl's voice said.

Everyone turned to look at Ranma, who still had her back to them while sitting on her head. The girl was muttering under her breath now, not saying anything they could make out, so they all returned to eating, except for Akane.

Akane watched the small girl while she muttered to herself. She began to recall their argument the previous night and sighed before turning back to everyone else.

Kasumi moved a bowl over to the spot next to Akane and called over to the red head.

"Why don't you join us now, Ranma?" she asked.

Ranma didn't say anything, but rolled backwards so she was sitting cross legged next to Akane. She accepted the bowl Kasumi offered her and began to eat, although her eyes remained staring angrily at something behind Kasumi.

Kasumi noticed Ranma's staring and glance behind her, but saw nothing but the blank wall.

"What are you looking at, Ranma?" she asked.

"Nothing," Ranma answered curtly. She continued to eat while staring at the blank spot on the wall behind the older girl.

With that, everyone ate in silence. Not a word was said as the six people finished their breakfast, and Nabiki bid them all farewell as she headed off to class.

"Wait, Nabiki," Akane called after her sister. "Wait for me!"

"Hmmm? Don't you and Ranma… Oh," Nabiki stopped what she was saying when she saw the redhead still eating while staring intently at the wall. "Sorry, I forgot."

"Never mind, let's just go," Akane said as she got her shoes on. "Goodbye everyone," she shouted back into the house.

"Have a good day at school you two," Kasumi shouted back. She watched her two sisters leave and then began to clean up the dishes.

Nodoka excused herself to begin her house chores for the day after the two girls left. She thanked Kasumi once again for the pleasant meal before leaving the family room.

Soun and Genma placed their bowls on the table and moved aside to begin a game of shogi, leaving just Ranma at the table, still munching away at her bowl of rice. She was still staring at the wall, like she was burning a hole through it.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Akane and Nabiki walked to school in silence. It had been over a year since the two sisters had walked to school together, and doing it now felt so strange to them. The two girls used to talk like any other pair of gossipers on their way to school, but now one would think they were complete strangers.

The two walked side by side, neither one looking at each other, but for different reasons. Akane simply felt out of place walking to school with her older sister. Nabiki, on the other hand, didn't mind the company, but was trying to avoid looking at her sister's sad face. She wanted to bring up the fact that her face was still covered with the evidence of crying, but didn't know how to bring it up.

Akane absentmindedly made a turn while she tried to think of something to break the ice when Nabiki suddenly called to her.

"Where are you going, Akane?" she asked.

"Huh?" Akane looked over to her sister, who was still meaning to walk straight. She then looked down the road she had turned onto and recognized the chain link fence running along the river that Ranma always ran on when they rushed to school.

"This is the way we always go to school," she said.

"Is it?" Nabiki asked, looking down the road. "You mean you and Ranma?"

"Oh…" Akane stared down the road, noticing how lonely it looked. It suddenly occurred to her that they only took that path because Ranma preferred fences and walls to walk on so he could keep his balance honed each day. It had become so familiar, that she never noticed no one else ever took it to get to Furinkan High.

"Well, let's go then" Nabiki said simply. She walked past Akane down the unfamiliar path. "You'll have to lead from here on out, because I don't know where this goes," she called back to the still frozen Akane.

The other girl came to and ran to catch up with her sister. "Sorry," she stammered. "It's not too hard to get there this way," she said, more calm this time.

The two sisters continued their journey to school, but now they were having idle chit chat. Nabiki decided it was better than nothing, and began to formulate a plan to bring up Akane's face without stepping on too many buttons. She decided the best first step was to ease into a topic that involved Ranma, since she knew those tears had to involve him in some way.

"So, when did you and Ranma decide on this path?" she asked.

Akane thought back to the first time she had to take Ranma to school. Ranma hadn't been prepared for the ordeal, and they wound up leaving late. Akane had discovered this path before then, and remembered it to be a sort of short cut. While it did not cut down your distance, it did allow you to travel faster with its lack of traffic and intersections to stop at.

"I always knew about it," the younger sister said, finally. "I guess we take it every day because we're always running late?"

"Why _do_ you and Ranma always run late, anyways?" Nabiki asked. She was leaning towards Akane now with a wicked smirk, and glint in her eye. She beginning to sound like the mischievous girl she was known to be. She kept her original intent in mind, but couldn't pass up on this opening. "Spending too much time enjoying each other's company?" Nabiki raised her eyebrows in a hinting fashion, trying to coax her sister into giving her something she could possibly use.

"Yeah right," Akane said, sounding more than a little irritated. In fact, she sounded out right disgusted at the thought, but Nabiki thought her eye roll was more than a little exaggerated. "That idiot's always holding me up before school."

"Oh, so he holds you," Nabiki said. She held up a finger to her mouth and looked up to the sky, as if in thought. "Ranma holds Akane…" she said quietly to herself, but purposefully loud enough for Akane to overhear.

Akane quickly turned on her sister after the last comment. There was a look of panic in her eyes, and she was suddenly breathing more quickly and had lost her composure.

"No! No way! Never!" she yelled. Her face had gone slightly pink, either from embarrassment at Nabiki's suggestion, or from yelling out her protest so suddenly.

Nabiki laughed at her sibling and stuck out her tongue. "Just kidding," she said.

Akane fumed at her sister and turned back around to continue walking to school. Nabiki followed a few steps behind her while still laughing.

"Oh, come on, sister," she said with a chuckle. "Lighten up, it was a joke!"

Akane suddenly spun on her heels at Nabiki. Her eyes were filled with the fire usually reserved for Ranma and her hands had tightened into fists. "Well, I'm sorry I don't find my situation with Ranma to be a joke!" she yelled.

Nabiki froze when Akane finished yelling. She watched her younger sister standing there with her back hunched slightly and her head facing the ground. She was breathing heavily, causing her shoulders to move up and down with each breath while her fists were actually shaking.

"Akane," Nabiki said in shock. "I'm sorry."

Akane didn't say anything. She just stood there fuming at her sister; at the turn her life had taken. She felt like everything was spinning out of control, or at least more so than before, and she couldn't take much more of it. No matter what she tried, it just seemed to make things worse.

_Ranma is a completely different person now_, she thought. She recalled the ice cold treatment he gave to everyone the past two days, and then his relentless training that was on the brink of sending all of his sparring partners to the hospital. _He seems so fired up these days, but not in a good way._

Akane's train of thought was suddenly broken when she felt something soft on her cheek. She then noticed that Nabiki's face was only a few inches away, looking at hers closely while wiping a pad on it.

"You really need to take better care of yourself, Akane," the older girl said while dabbing the pad into a small container of makeup.

Nabiki wiped the small pad on Akane's face, applying the makeup. She didn't say another word to her sister while she worked on her face, covering up the signs that she had been crying.

"There we go," she said while snapping her makeup case shut.

Akane's anger fizzled away and she felt her cheek with her hand. "What was that all about?" she asked.

"Really," Nabiki said, sounding like she was agitated. "You can't show up to school looking like you had just cried a river. And this uniform…" Nabiki leaned down slightly and patted the skirt of Akane's uniform, attempting to straighten it out a little. "I'll let you off without any questions this time, but don't forget how everyone at school can be, especially when it comes to you and Ranma."

Akane blushed, realizing that Nabiki was right, she and her fiancé were more often than not the target of rumor and gossip around school. "Thanks, Nabiki," she said quietly, a little embarrassed that her sister was helping her straighten herself out before school.

Nabiki walked past her sister and continued on her way to school, leaving a still stunned Akane behind. The shorter girl still had her hand up to her cheek and was staring blankly until her sister called to her again.

"Akane, you're going to be late!" Nabiki called.

"Oh, I'm coming!" Akane shouted back, running to catch up with her suddenly kind sister.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ranma was alone in the Tendo dojo, practicing random combinations of katas. Without a sparring partner, she was left to use her imagination, which she was usually ok with. In the past, a sparring partner usually meant she would have to hold back, so she preferred practicing alone. At the moment, however, dancing around the dojo punching at shadows and invisible foes was only reminding her of the magnitude of the situation.

She continued her lonely practice around the dojo until a certain old pervert hopped down at the entrance and scoffed at her.

"Ranma, you are pathetic," Happosai said.

Ranma stopped what she was doing and glared at the old man and smirked. "Finally woke up, huh?" she asked.

"Indeed," Happosai nodded. "And when Kasumi told me you were in here training, I came for a look, but I was expecting more than this pathetic display!" Happosai pointed a finger at Ranma as he finished his comment.

"Oh, and this is coming from the old relic that was knocked out for two days, right?" Ranma mocked.

Happosai shrugged off the girl's insult and folded his hands behind his back. "With that kind of attitude, perhaps I won't help train you after all," he said matter-of-factly.

"Heh, who needs your kind of training anyways?" Ranma asked, sounding quite bitter.

At that, Happosai suddenly appeared in front of Ranma's turned head and whacked her with his pipe. Ranma yelped and rubbed her head where she had been hit gingerly.

"What the hell was that for?" she asked.

"That's the proof that a simpleton like you requires _my_ training!" Happosai said.

"Watch who you call a simpleton…" Ranma hissed. She was shaking with anger as she spoke.

Happosai didn't feel threatened by the apparent anger in the girls voice, and turned his back to her. "You'll never inherit the Anything Goes School with those brute tactics," he said.

"Listen you!" Ranma was starting to lose her temper as she brought her fist up to emphasize her point. "What does this have to do with inheriting this school!?"

Happosai spun on the young girl and gave a glare that shocked even her. While Happosai had always been quick to show anger to make his students cower in fear, this one had much more edge to it. "You ungrateful fool!" He yelled while whacking her on the head again.

Happosai stood there, heaving each breath as he eyed the girl rubbing her head. When she finally recovered and flashed another glare at him, he continued.

"Given the circumstances, I'm going to forget your past transgressions… for now," he said. He was speaking with the most serious tone Ranma had ever heard, taking her by surprise. Rather than argue or insult him, like usual, she decided to listen to what he had to say.

"Okay… and what brings this on?" she asked, still a little cautious.

"Ranma…" Happosai trailed off his answer as he began to glow. His chi manifested into a bright blue aura surrounding the midget martial artist, powerful, yet controlled. There was no anger, nor was there lust. This was Happosai's true battle aura. "Your barbaric training won't help you face your opponent," he said. His tone was not insulting, merely stating what he believed to be a hard fact.

"And why is that?" Ranma asked, beginning to sound a little defensive of herself. She didn't like being talked down to, even if it was from a superior martial artist.

"You're a fool if you don't know!" Happosai criticized. "You, more than even I, should know that physical training as a girl won't help you fight as a man!"

Ranma's eyes widened in shock at the old man's accusation. She realized that what Happosai was saying was true. She knew it all too well from past situations she had often jumped into without thinking things through. While she was comfortable enough fighting in her female body, it did not match up with her true male form. And the old man was right. No matter how hard or long she trained as a female, it would all be wiped out when she turned into a man for the eventual battle.

"So then… it's useless?" Ranma asked weakly, still coming to grips with realizing that her efforts had been futile.

"Training is never useless," Happosai said. "Even if you should fail in combat, the training will serve you as an example of what not to do in the future."

Ranma was silent as the words sunk in. She sank to her hands and knees, and stared blankly at the wooden floor. "But, what can I do now?" she asked.

Happosai's aura grew brighter. The old man gave the faintest smile of satisfaction, believing he had finally reached the young girl. "You must train in techniques that won't change with your body," he said.

Ranma watched as the grandmaster of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts performed a kata. His movements were quick, and precise, each ending with a short pause before the next step. What was amazing to Ranma was the manipulation Happosai had over his chi.

The old man's battle aura didn't just move with his body; it extended with his strikes. Each punch and kick caused a quick burst from his aura to stretch outwards, almost too fast to see. Waves of energy could be felt with each burst, reverberating in the air as the master displayed his example for the silent student.

"It is time for you to learn to master your chi!" he declared.

Ranma stood up and clenched her fists, now determined to learn the technique the old man had just displayed. The focus she had been searching for had finally come, and she was ready to do whatever it took to master it.

* * *

**Author's notes:** Had a bit of trouble with this chapter, but I hope you all find it enjoyable. More action should be coming in the next few chapters.

Rewritten to include Nodoka to match the later chapters.


	4. Aura

The morning started like any other morning in Nerima. All was quiet in the Tendo home as the late afternoon rolled in. There were no shouts between two arguing teenagers, or the gleeful decrees of a pervert returning from a successful hunt. All that could be heard in the perfectly still house was Kasumi's humming while she worked on the laundry.

As was the usual during school hours, the inhabitants took advantage of the moment of peace and calm. While Kasumi tended to the household duties uninterrupted, her father and Mr. Saotome sat in the family room, enjoying cups of tea while playing a game.

Soun and Genma were immersed in their never ending game of Shogi, each watching the board, unblinking, to prevent the other from cheating. They took their time with each move, often losing themselves in the peaceful silence surrounding them.

This peace was interrupted with the faintest grunts and cries coming from the dojo. Soun and Genma had been amazed when Ranma had taken to training with their old master, Happosai, but didn't question the girl when they saw the serious look on her face. The result was a more peaceful day than usual, and to the two aging martial artists, it felt much like a long overdue vacation from all the chaos that seemed to gravitate towards them.

"So, Tendo," Genma said as he moved a piece on the board. "What do you suppose the master is teaching my boy?"

Soun sat in silent contemplation. He was examining the move his old friend had made, while also pondering what sort of training the master could have presented the young heir of the Anything Goes School. It was the first time, indeed, the young Saotome had accepted Happosai's training, so it must have been something impressive.

"I have no idea," Soun answered, finally. He rubbed his chin as he continued to think over his next move, and possible counters to each scenario. "Let's hope it's nothing like the training our master gave us," he added. Soun then moved his piece, causing Genma to twitch and rub his bandana covered scalp nervously.

Genma had found himself trapped in the game they were playing. He had few options to choose from, and all of them had obvious counters that Soun would make to continue to keep him on the ropes. He was busy thinking over a way to escape his friend's clever trap when a sudden crash in the dojo caught their attention.

"What was that?" Genma asked, looking past his friend's shoulder in the direction of the dojo.

Soun glanced over his shoulder. "I don't know," he said.

While his attention was busy directed towards the dojo, Soun failed to notice the sound of Genma making his move. The overweight, balding man moved several pieces and completely removed others while adding some of his own. He was quick with his attack, returning to his game face before Soun turned back around.

Soun had heard the sound of a few pieces moving on the shogi board and turned back to see his friend staring at it with his arms crossed, as if thinking of his next move. When he also glanced down at the board, his eyes widened. It no longer resembled that trap he had sprung on his friend, instead being almost completely flipped. He pointed at the unfamiliar layout of pieces and glanced at his friend, but Genma's serious face did not crack, causing Soun to doubt his own beliefs.

"How did you?" he stammered, finally.

Genma did not answer, but remained staring with his best game face. His act was flawless, having been honed from over a year of cheating against his good friend.

Soun continued to move his eyes back and forth between the board and his friend, now ignoring the distant crashes coming from the dojo.

Kasumi came in and set down a fresh pot of tea for the two adults. She bowed slightly as they thanked her, and then glanced over to the dojo as another loud crash nearly shook the walls of the family room. "Oh my," she said.

"Mmm…" Genma mused with Kasumi's statement. He looked over his friend's shoulder towards the racket from the dojo. It begun to grow even louder, telling him that whatever the training entailed, it was becoming more intense.

True to Genma's suspicions, Ranma's training under Happosai had begun to increase in intensity. She had spent the last few hours training her mind to focus her aura in ways she didn't think were possible. Happosai had been berating her the entire time, criticizing her lack of concentration, and imagination.

Ranma strained under her master's constant scrutiny, but bit her tongue and endured it all, determined to figure out the core of what Happosai was trying to teach. Finally, she had gotten to the point where she could focus her aura enough for Happosai to at least attempt to direct her, but the results thus far were nothing short of disastrous.

On her first try, Ranma had blown her aura outwards into massive proportions, but that only prompted the midget master to crush it with his own in disgust. Next, she tried focusing it into a ball and firing it, but the old man deflected it, calling it 'old hat'.

Now, frustration was beginning to settle in on Ranma, and her aura was becoming more erratic. Her anger, paired with her instincts, was telling her to silence the old goat. Without being aware of what she was doing, Ranma stomped the ground with her hand swinging downwards in a chop. Although her target was far away, she could feel something reaching him. Instinctually, she had extended her aura in a blind rage, creating a sharp blade of blue energy that swung down, shadowing her body's action.

Happosai gave a faint smile of satisfaction at seeing this form of attack. He could tell Ranma was acting without thought, but it would do for now. Not to let his pleasure distract him, however, Happosai countered the attack. With a quick motion, He dodged the blade of blue chi, letting burst harmlessly beside him.

Ranma growled at missing her attack, and let her body twist around as her chop swung her weight. She bent down into her twist, and brought her left leg up into a backwards kick, again feeling her chi stretch with a snap. Not being able to see her opponent behind her, she quickly followed with her next attack, planting both feet firmly. The force of her spin forced her to once again bend over slightly, but she stopped her body's motion and reversed it like a slingshot, brining her right fist upwards into a backhand that also sent a burst of her chi out.

Happosai could feel the small girl's chi stretching outward, sending ripples through the air at him. He leapt over the horizontal wave sent by her kick and then twisted around the backhand strike. Having seen enough, he twirled out his pipe and whacked Ranma on the head, dropping her to the ground.

"That's a start," the old man said, more than a little mockingly.

"You old goat…" Ranma hissed. She got to her feet slowly and refocused her chi. It flared into a more brilliant blue than before, and was so potent that it actually bent the air around it like a physical barrier.

Happosai eyed the strong battle aura in mild surprise and then gave a slightly twisted laugh. "Now we're getting somewhere," he said.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter IV : Aura**

* * *

Akane walked home from school with her head held low. The previous day had been hard enough on her, what with the rumors spreading with no basis in reality, but today had been another thing all together. When she had arrived to school that day looking the way she did, her class literally erupted into clamor.

Akane sighed, remembering the torrent of questions fired at her from her class. She of course, refused to answer any of them, only stammering out protests to the most embarrassing theories being given. Even after the teacher started the lesson, she could feel the looks everyone was giving her, and the scribbling she'd heard didn't sound like class notes to her; more like gossip notes.

_Why can't they all just give it a rest? _Akane wondered to herself. She had gotten used to the rumor-mongering classmates by now, but this new wave was a lot bigger than what she was experienced with. Then there was Kuno.

Akane's eyes lowered into slits as she remembered her upperclassman's tirade that day. He had shown overacted concern over her appearance, and vowed to avenge her. Akane had shrugged off the wannabe samurai's display of affection and support, but unfortunately for her, he wasn't done. As if the signs were in plain sight for everyone, he then began shouting about the 'wretched Saotome' having no honor by forcing himself onto her. At that comment, she had felt anger on so many levels, including the fact that he was insulting Ranma with that kind of assumption. The punt that followed proved to be her best yet, as Kuno did not return until much later that afternoon.

_That creep._ Akane thought to herself. _It's bad enough he has to keep dropping his lame lines. I don't need him telling everyone Ranma forced himself onto me. _Akane felt a little strange after that last thought, and decided it was best to think about something else. Her mind, however, could not get off of the subject of Ranma. No matter what, everything seemed to revolve around Ranma.

"Hey, there," a soft, friendly voice called suddenly, shocking the young girl back to the present. She jumped slightly and glanced to where the voice had come from to see Ukyo standing just around the corner she had reached.

The okonomiyaki cook, and current marital rival, was dressed in her purple chef outfit with her hair arranged into a pony tail. She had her usual battle spatula strapped to her back, but the pleasant smile on her face showed she wasn't here to start a fight. She was standing with her hands on her hips, as if to announce that she had arrived, with a confidant look in her blue eyes.

Akane recovered from her initial surprise at hearing the other girl and returned the smile, although hers was forced. "Hey, Ukyo," she said, sounding a little strained at the moment.

Ukyo noticed Akane's controlled behavior and smirked slightly before putting a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm not here to cause you more trouble," she assured the girl. "Heh, I figured you'd gotten enough at school," she added, remembering the rather huge outburst at lunch that day. Ukyo meant to make this move at that time, but found the crowd surrounding Akane a little intimidating, even for her.

Akane let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes. "You can say that again," she muttered.

"So, about Ranma," Ukyo continued, not wanting to let the situation deviate from her intentions. She had been waiting all day to get Akane alone, and wasn't about to let this chance slip away. "I take it things aren't getting any better, judging by how you showed up to school today?" she asked, trying to ease into the topic.

Akane became downcast at hearing her fiancé's name. While she could just ignore her classmates' questions, she knew Ukyo wouldn't give up so easily. Now in a corner, she decided it was time to think of an answer.

"Not really," she admitted. It was an honest answer, but it also showed how unsure she was about any details behind it.

"I see," Ukyo replied in contemplation of her answer. She could tell Akane was as confused as ever about the situation surrounding Ranma, perhaps even more so than the previous day. The story she had told her over lunch was very troubling for the tomboy fiancée of Ranma, enough so that she decided to wait it out before taking a hands on approach. Ukyo, however, found her patience wearing thin, and it was only being worsened as Akane's own confusion seemed to grow.

Akane stood there in silence, wishing she could just walk away from the other girl. She always felt mild discomfort around Ukyo, knowing that the girl who acted like her friend would be more than willing to ditch her in a hole and run away with Ranma at a moment's notice. Being this close talking about that same boy was borderline unbearable for the raven haired girl.

"Well… if you'll excuse me," Akane said, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence. "I really need to get home."

Ukyo was shaken out of her own mild meditation and jerked her head around to see the other girl slowly walking away. _Oh no! She's getting away!_ Ukyo thought to herself and panicked. "Err… uh, wait!" she cried, waving her arms and trying to think as fast as she could for a way to salvage her plan. She then remembered the box she had with her at looked down at her feet to see it sitting there. "Akane! Wait!" Ukyo cried while lifting the box.

Akane paused and looked back over her shoulder to see Ukyo running to catch up. The taller girl bent over to catch her breath when she finally reached her and handed over the box she had been carrying.

"Give this to Ranma for me, would you?" she asked. _It's not much, but it's all I've got now._ Ukyo thought, disappointed that her plan hadn't gone the way she imagined it.

"Mmm? Okonomiyaki?" Akane asked; a little perplexed.

"Yup," Ukyo confirmed, now standing up straight again. "Just a little something for my Ranma honey," she added, smiling proudly and at least a little mockingly at her rival.

Akane growled at the obvious message Ukyo was hinting at, but remained pleasant, for her own sake. "Of course, Ukyo," she said, sounding all too restrained. Her body was literally shaking with suppressed anger.

Ukyo noticed that Akane was now on the edge, and decided that it was a better time than ever to make her escape.

"Well," she said, turning to leave. "I better get going." She called back while waving. "Tell Ranma I said hello!"

Ukyo ran off quickly, not wanting to get in any deeper than she already was. Her plan had failed, and she was upset about it, but ruffling Akane's feathers a little had helped her feel better. _But now I have to remake that delivery order…_ She thought sadly, thinking about the box she had given to Akane.

"I wonder if Ranma even likes peanut butter on his okonomiyaki?" she asked herself, recalling the rather bazaar order with an unsettling feeling in her stomach. "Eh, he'll eat practically anything. It'll be fine."

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Akane walked into her house and announced that she was home. Kasumi came out of the kitchen to greet her with a warm smile.

"Welcome home, Akane," she said sweetly.

Akane returned the smile, a much warmer and more genuine one than the one given to Ukyo. "Thanks," she replied.

"What's that you have there?" Kasumi asked, noticing the box in Akane's hands for the first time.

Akane lifted the box and looked at it. "This?" she asked. "Just some okonomiyaki Ukyo wanted me to give to Ranma," she said, speaking as if it didn't mean anything to her.

"Oh my, that's awfully sweet of her," Kasumi said, not realizing that what she had just said affected her younger sister in a negative way.

Akane wanted to speak her mind about the whole okonomiyaki deal, but when she saw her sister's warm smile and innocent eyes, her anger fizzled away. There was just no way she could yell at her older sister.

"Where is Ranma anyway?" Akane asked, although she believed she already knew the answer.

"Ranma's in the dojo training with grandpa Happosai," Kasumi replied.

"Thanks," Akane said while walking past her sister. She made her way towards the dojo with the box in her hands, wondering about what her sister had just said.

Ranma training in the dojo was nothing strange, especially these days, but that's not what had Akane's mind abuzz. She was wondering what could have possibly convinced Ranma, the most stubborn person on earth, to actually train with the old pervert.

As she neared the dojo, Akane looked at the box in her hands and began to wonder about something else.

"Ukyo sure gave this to me in a hurry," she thought out loud. "I wonder what it is."

The raven haired girl raised the box to eye level and gazed at it with studious eyes. She wondered if the little Japanese pizza had a message for Ranma, and was more than a bit tempted to open it and see.

_No, that wouldn't be right._ She chastised herself. No matter what, she wouldn't stoop that low; not even Ranma would, for the most part.

Finally, she reached the dojo gates. She stood at the wooden doors nervously, listening to the sounds of combat coming from within. She could hear a lot of grunts and cries coming from Ranma's female form, as well as a lot of crashing and tumbling. The training Ranma was undertaking sounded quite rigorous to Akane, and she was a little nervous to interrupt it like this. It didn't help that they had never resolved the argument from the previous night.

Steeling herself to face the redhead, Akane slid the gates open and stepped inside. What welcomed her was the sight of Ranma flying through air, screaming. The redhead crashed onto the wooden floor and tumbled several times before stopping on her stomach, groaning.

At seeing Ranma hurling through the air like a rag doll, Akane forgot what she had come to do, and dropped the take out box.

"Oh, my gosh, Ranma!" Akane cried, running to the girl. She eased Ranma onto her back and was taken aback at what she saw.

Ranma was in a complete daze. Her eyes were blank, and seemed to be chasing swirling spots in front her while her lips twitched. She was mumbling incoherently while Akane shook her softly to try to rouse her.

"What did you do to him!?" Akane demanded, glaring at the old man standing at the other end of the dojo.

Happosai remained calm at the girl's rather emotional outburst and took a puff from his freshly lit pipe before answering. "Training," he said simply.

"You call this training!?" Akane stood up and pointed at the dazed girl lying on her back, twitching and mumbling. "Just what kind of twisted training did you make Ranma do!?" she asked.

Happosai glared at the girl, showing a little of his anger at being insulted as a martial arts teacher. "Now see here!" he retorted, "I didn't even lay a finger on her!"

"Oh!?" Akane asked, not believing a word he had said. "And I suppose he just collapsed on his own then?" she asked sarcastically.

"You got that right," Happosai answered, grinning. "The boy's got heart, but his chi reserves ran dry rather quickly."

"Chi reserves?" Akane asked, not familiar with the term. She looked back down at the dazed girl, whom continued to stare blankly at the ceiling. She had to admit, Ranma did not look physically beaten, and the look in her eyes was similar to the one Genma had whenever he drained himself using his giant battle aura technique.

"That's right," Happosai said matter-of-factly. "Ranma must learn to control his chi in new ways if he is to face his opponent." His back was now turned to the pair of girls, which he glanced at with a knowing look. "But it would seem he first needs to develop a larger reserve," he added, a bit cold this time.

"Uh…" Ranma groaned as she came to. She blinked her eyes weakly and struggled to sit up.

"Oh, Ranma," Akane exclaimed, kneeling next to the redhead. She helped her fiancé sit up by holding her shoulder with one hand. "Are you okay?"

"Akane?" Ranma asked, sounding like she had just crawled out of a collapsed building. She rubbed her head gingerly and then saw Happosai standing there, looking rather smug. The sight suddenly reminded her of what she had been doing earlier and awoke her instincts. "You!" she hissed, channeling her chi into a battle aura. The pale blue light sparked for a second before vanishing just as suddenly, and Ranma fainted.

"Ranma!" Akane cried. The girl had fainted so suddenly, Akane couldn't catch her in time, letting her meet the ground with a loud thud,

"Hmph, he sure is stubborn," Happosai mused. He was surprised the little girl had any spark left after that training session; he was sure he had felt her chi was completely used up before that last burst. _Ranma is more than what I expected._ He thought to himself.

"Leave Ranma alone," Akane warned, lifting the girl over her shoulder.

Happosai didn't like the girl's tone and turned to glare at her. "Mind your manners towards your elders!" he said sternly. He was determined to assert his authority, but the sudden sight of an unconscious Ranma brought out the worst in him. He suddenly felt incredibly warm as a tinkling feeling ran up his spine and he pounced before he could even process what he was thinking. "I'll forgive you with one little touch!" he said gleefully.

Akane jerked Ranma's limp body away from the now rabid pervert and crushed him into the dojo floor with her free hand. The old man grunted as he was crushed, but Akane wasn't done, oh no. She knew there was only one way to handle this situation, and she retrieved her mallet from, well, thin air, it would seem. With one mighty swing, she sent the midget sized martial artist flying towards the setting sun.

"Get out of here, you pervert!" she shouted after the old man.

Akane breathed deeply as she watched Happosai vanish into the distant sky and then returned her attention to the unconscious girl that she was now holding by the collar. She sighed and dragged the smaller girl out of the dojo and back into the house. She had reached the stairs when Kasumi exited the kitchen and saw them.

"Oh my," Kasumi exclaimed with a hand to her mouth. "What happened to Ranma?" she asked.

Akane looked back at the girl she was dragging behind her and shrugged her shoulders. "Beats me," she said, sounding more than a little angry.

"Akane?" Kasumi asked, a curious tone in her voice. She walked to the stairway and looked up towards her sister with a concerned look only a mother could know how to give. "Is something the matter?" she asked, pleading for an answer with her piercing eyes.

Akane refused to make eye contact with her older sister, knowing all too well that she stood no chance against that look. No matter what she may have been feeling or thinking, she just knew now wasn't the time to talk about it. With the greatest of effort, she managed to slowly look away.

"We can talk later," Akane said slowly, still feeling Kasumi's concerned gaze eating at her resolve from behind. "Right now, I need to take care of Ranma."

Kasumi didn't want to accept that answer, but could tell by her sister's forced tone that it would have to suffice. She blinked her eyes, replacing her motherly gaze with her usual warm look and smiled. "That's so sweet of you, Akane," she said.

Akane stopped dead in her tracks at her older sister's comment. "D-don't go reading anything that isn't there!" she stammered.

Akane felt her cheeks getting hot, and just knew they were turning pink, possibly even red. She was glad her face was hidden from Kasumi and made a hasty retreat. She ran up the stairs, completely ignoring the fact that she was giving Ranma a fresh beating by dragging the redhead up so roughly.

So rushed was her escape from Kasumi, Akane automatically ran into her room and slammed the door behind her. She dropped what she was carrying in her hands and put one up to her chest as she caught her breath. After recovering a little, she let out a sigh and looked down next to her.

Ranma was lying on the floor in a heap, looking worse than Akane remembered her being. Rather than just being exhausted, it now looked as if the girl had taken quite the beating, although Akane had no idea where all the fresh bruises had come from. She looked back at the shut door, as if it would show her the source of the bruises on Ranma when something suddenly struck her mind. The taller girl glanced back and forth, realizing where they were for the first time since running up stairs.

"Oh no!" Akane said, slightly panicked. "This is my room!"

Akane felt her cheeks getting hot again. She didn't know what to do. Ranma's room was just down the hall, but what if someone saw her dragging him out of her room? Even with him in his girl form, it looked bad enough. And the fact that the redhead was unconscious would only make things harder to explain if anyone caught her.

The other option was to, of course, let Ranma rest right here, in her room. Akane was equally uncomfortable with that scenario, because it was probably the worse of the two if they got caught. Still, she felt it would be easier to explain an unconscious Ranma lying in her bed like she was sick rather than being dragged out of her room. It also helped that Ranma was looking worse for the wear at the moment, and dragging him to his room was probably not a good idea.

Having decided, Akane hauled the smaller girl to her bed and set her down. She moved her arms and legs so that she was resting on her back, and then fluffed the pillow beneath her head. After she was satisfied with Ranma's position, she took a step back to admire her work.

Ranma had not roused from her slumber during the entire episode Akane had to endure, which the latter was thankful for. The redhead looked at peace as she lay in Akane's bed, breathing softly. She was sleeping much like a patient in a hospital.

Akane felt a warm smile sneak into her lips and let the other girl rest. She turned to her closet and began undressing, relieved to finally be removing her crumpled school uniform. She had just finished removing the blue dress when she heard the girl in her bed stir slightly, and mumble something.

"Uh… Akane…" Ranma mumbled.

Akane spun around, mallet at the ready to strike. She made sure the large weapon covered as much of her body as possible and glared at her fiancé. "Close your eyes pervert!" she shouted, not realizing Ranma was still unconscious. She glared at the stirring girl with the mallet raised over her nearly nude body. But after a brief moment, realized she was not awake, and lowered her defenses.

"Ha, still unconscious," Akane said nervously. She turned back to her closet and rummaged through the many dresses she had hanging within. After a moment of contemplation, she decided on a light yellow sundress. Normally, she would save such a dress for a weekend, but the heat of summer was settling in early, making the end of the school term unbearable.

Akane put on the thin dress and looked at herself in the mirror. She liked how it looked, smiling while she turned to check it from different angles. Satisfied with her attire, she shut the closet.

Akane gathered her dirty school uniform and glanced over to her bed. Ranma had stopped stirring and was now resting calmly, although some sweat seemed to have formed on her forehead. Akane felt Ranma's face with the back of her hand and noticed how cold it felt.

"Hmm, I should go get a towel," she said to herself.

Akane walked to her door and kicked something as she reached for the handle. She looked down and saw the okonomiyaki box Ukyo had given her for Ranma.

"Huh, I guess I forgot," she said in mild amusement.

The raven haired girl set the box aside and opened her door to leave. She paused for a second, and took one last look at her bed. Ranma was sleeping peacefully, which seemed to calm the other girl. Akane left her room and went downstairs to the furoba. She threw her uniform into the clothes hamper and then grabbed a towel from the shelf next to it. After running the water until it was warm, she drenched the towel and returned to her room with it.

When she entered, Akane took a moment to watch Ranma sleeping in her bed. It was odd to see the small girl there, so peaceful, but it gave Akane the strangest warmth deep down inside. She felt another blush enter her cheeks and shook her head, trying to free it of whatever it was thinking. When she was done, she walked over to the side of her bed and placed the wet towel on Ranma's forehead.

"That should do it," Akane said, smiling. She placed her hands on her hips and looked down at her patient with a triumphant smile. She felt a sort of pride in taking care of Ranma, although she wasn't sure why.

Satisfied with her patient's condition, Akane turned to her desk and pulled out some school work. She began to read over her notes, or rather, the random scribbling scattered in her notebook. She hadn't noticed at the time, but all day during class, she had been drifting in and out of the lesson, writing parts of notes at random, often trailing off and stopping mid sentence.

A sweat drop appeared on Akane's face as she tried to make sense of her notes, and she laughed weakly at herself. "Heh… guess I'll have to reread the chapters," she thought out loud. She frowned when her words really settled in, and dug into her book bag.

Akane pulled out her English book and began to read the chapters the teacher went over in class. Ms. Hinako had warned the students of the coming exam at the start of class, and Akane was a bit distressed that she was choosing now to get distracted.

The end of the term was only a week away, and the exams were sure to be difficult. Akane's sister, Nabiki, had spun wild tales of how difficult final exams were when she was going through the second year at Furinkan. She had talked about how important they were, as a gauge for the final year and college entrance exams. Basically, she gave the impression that if you did poorly, it was time to abandon all hope.

The thought made Akane glance back over to Ranma. He was in a bad situation, skipping school during final exams, but Akane knew there would be no convincing him to change his mind this time. She had already had to discuss Ranma's absence with the teachers, and they made it clear that they would need to speak with his father before deciding on how to handle his exams.

Akane sighed and pushed those thoughts out of her mind. She had her own exams to deal with right now, and would have to worry about Ranma's later. She looked down at her English book and clenched her fist with a nod. She steeled herself for what would be a long study sessions and began to scribble notes.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

It was the early evening when Ranma finally came to. She awoke slowly and blinked heavy eyes at the unfamiliar ceiling. With a sore groan, the girl sat up.

"Where am I?" she asked, not really expecting an answer.

Ranma took a look around and immediately recognized Akane's room. She wondered what she was doing there, and then noticed she was also in her fiancée's bed. "What the," Ranma stammered. She panicked, fearing what Akane would do if she was caught and tried to leap out of the bed. Her body, however, was still tired from the days training, and she ended up tumbling off of the mattress with a grunt.

"Man…" Ranma groaned while rubbing her back where she had landed. "It's been a while since I've felt like this."

The door to the room suddenly opened and Akane walked in with a tray of tea in her hands. Ranma felt like steel spikes had punctured her spine when she heard the click of the door, and again tried to jump for an escape. Just like the previous attempt, Ranma found her body unable to make the effort, and fell flat on her face.

"Ranma!" Akane exclaimed after seeing the girl tumble to the ground. She set down the tea on her bed and ran over to help the other girl up.

Ranma accepted Akane's help nervously, expecting the pain to come at any moment. _This is it… I am so busted! _She thought to herself, trying her best to brace for what would surely be a vicious she was standing with the support of the taller girl, she was surprised that she hadn't been hit yet. Ranma had to blink a few times before actually accepting it as reality.

"Th-thanks, Akane," she said nervously, still not quite sure if it was safe to be where she was. She eyed the girl helping her stand and noticed that she was wearing a dress she hadn't seen before.

It was a simple yellow sundress that seemed to accentuate Akane's figure. It was just a tad longer than knee length, with the bottom of the skirt actually paling gradually into white. The top ended just over her chest, showing no cleavage, but that was okay with Ranma. It's not that she wasn't interested in seeing, but she always felt Akane was meant for the more innocent style of clothing. One thing that did take her by surprise was that it was held up by spaghetti straps.

_That's a cute look,_ Ranma thought. She glanced at Akane from head to toe before quickly snapping her eyes away. Now was not the right time to get caught staring.

Akane smiled warmly at Ranma and helped her sit down on her bed. She thought she noticed her eyeing here dress, but chalked it up to her just being too weak to keep her head up. She never really believed Ranma would take interest in what she wore, although she always hoped he would at least notice.

Akane sat down next to Ranma after steadying her. Keeping one hand on Ranma's shoulder, she reached over to the tray of tea and poured a cup. She carefully lifted it and handed it to the red head.

"Are you sure you should be getting out of bed just yet?" Akane asked. She watched the girl gulp down the tea, pleased that she hadn't managed to screw that up.

Ranma gulped down the hot tea without thinking about who could have made it. She noticed a strange bitter taste, but at the moment, was too worn out to care. She stared blankly into the cup and sighed. "How long was I out?" she asked.

"About six hours," Akane answered. She took the cup from Ranma's hands and placed it back onto the tray.

"I missed dinner then, huh?" Ranma asked, although she already knew the answer. At just mentioning the last meal of the day, Ranma felt her hunger rise to the surface, and her stomach growled loudly.

"Afraid so," Akane answered, ignoring the loud growls coming from the smaller girl's stomach. She had taken to staring at her feet from where she was sitting on her bed, a little nervous with her fiancé next to her like this. "I tried to save some food for you, but you know how your father is when it comes to food."

"Heh, yeah," Ranma grimaced. She was also staring at her feet blankly, still feeling the impending doom that this situation usually implied. She didn't want to risk even looking at Akane now.

The next few minutes were spent in relative silence. Ranma and Akane had run out of material to talk about. The only noise that could be heard was the hum of Akane's desk lamp and the occasional growl from Ranma's stomach. The silence between them as they both stared down at their feet was even more unsettling for Ranma. She felt like she was trapped, and any wrong move would result in her untimely demise by way of mallet.

"Well, thanks anyways," she said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. She wanted desperately to leave, if only to get some time alone to think about what it was she was feeling right now. The pain, she understood. The fear; that was easily explained. But there was also this very strange warm feeling that was barely pushing against the other two. Ranma wanted to believe she was just delirious, but somehow knew that wasn't it.

Akane smiled, but didn't look at Ranma. She felt herself float a little when Ranma had voiced her thanks, but she didn't know why. She could feel herself blushing slightly, and hoped the other girl wasn't watching her. She was about to say something when a rather loud growl from Ranma's stomach reminded her of something that she had received earlier that day.

"Oh," Akane exclaimed. She got up from the bed and lifted the take out box Ukyo had given to her. "I forgot, Ukyo made this for you," she said while brining the box to Ranma.

Ranma saw the box and immediately knew what it was. _Food! _She shouted in her head. Ranma snatched the box from Akane's hands without a word. She tipped it over and opened it, dropping the contents into her mouth and chewed vigorously for a second before swallowing it whole.

Akane watched Ranma eat, amazed at how quickly she had taken care of the okonomiyaki. _That food must have been ice cold, _she thought to herself. When the girl was done swallowing the food, Akane took back the box and set it down.

"Thanks," Ranma managed to say while smacking her lips. She didn't know if it was because the food was cold, but it tasted unusual for okonomiyaki. Ranma pondered what could have given it that strange sweet taste when her stomach growled again; telling her the single item was far too feeble to satisfy it.

Akane giggled when she heard Ranma's stomach growl, even after consuming the food she had given her. "I guess you're gonna need a little more than that," she said.

Ranma tried to laugh with Akane, but ended up groaning as her stomach continued to complain. She tried to stand up in order to make her way to the kitchen, but quickly collapsed back onto the bed. _Damn!_ She cursed to herself. _I'm so weak right now, I can't even stand!_

Akane caught Ranma as she fell onto her bed, keeping the girl from bumping her head. She was amazed that Ranma's training had drained her so much, and was more than a little worried what it would do in the long run. _Oh Ranma…_

"We'd better get you something to eat," Akane said.

"I'll say," Ranma agreed with a sheepish smile.

Akane helped Ranma up and escorted her downstairs. The red head couldn't help but notice how quiet the house was, and also that no one else even appeared to be around.

"Where is everyone?" she asked. They had just turned from the bottom of the steps, finalizing the fact that no one was home when Ranma saw the family room was empty.

Akane felt a lump fall in her chest when the question was asked. She remembered the scene at the end of dinner. Everyone was overjoyed, and being more than supportive of her decision to take care of Ranma while he was recovering from training. That good feeling was soon turned to dread, however, when she said she was going to fix some tea for him. At that, everyone ran for it, babbling out any excuse they could come up with to vacate the house. While she showed anger when that happened, she was really hurt that no one even trusted her to boil water and toss in some leaves.

"They all left," Akane said, trying to hide the fresh pain in her chest.

"What for?" Ranma asked, curious as to what could get even Kasumi to leave.

"I don't know!" Akane answered, a little harsher than she intended. "They just all ran off when I said I was going to make you some tea!" Akane didn't realize it, but she was now tense and breathing a tad hard.

Ranma felt a chill run up her spine when she heard that. _That explains the bitter taste,_ she thought, remembering the cup she had earlier. Still, it was the most edible thing Akane had ever prepared, and Ranma decided that was worth something.

"Well, they missed out," Ranma said matter-of-factly. "More tea for me," she added with a genuine smile.

Akane calmed down significantly at hearing Ranma's declaration. It was the first time Ranma, or anyone, for that matter, had actually praised the food she had prepared. Sure, it was just tea, but just hearing that she hadn't screwed something up in the kitchen for the first time made her happy. Akane returned Ranma's smile while they continued to walk.

When they reached the kitchen Akane left Ranma leaning on the counter while she searched through the fridge for something to snack on. "Let's see." she mumbled while digging through the fridge full of uncooked food items. She wanted to find something that wouldn't require any cooking, but Kasumi didn't stock up on much of that stuff. Her older sister would always talk about how unhealthy those types of snacks were whenever anyone asked why there weren't any in the house.

Ranma watched Akane dig through the fridge and felt something warm in her chest. She couldn't help but smile a little as the other girl tried to help her, despite what had happened the previous night. At remembering that argument, Ranma felt the weight of guilt land on her shoulders.

_Guess I better find a way to apologize while we're alone. _Ranma thought to herself, figuring it would be the best time; no interference, and no pressure.

"Here we go," Akane said. She handed a box of soy milk and some pickled cucumber slices. "It's not much, but with it being so late, we can't cook anything," she said, her tone apologetic.

Ranma accepted the food given to her and smiled her thanks before wolfing it down, just as fast as she had the okonomiyaki. When she was finished, she decided it was now or never to man up and apologize.

"Uh, listen," she began to say but was cut off by the other girl.

"Let's go get some take out for you," Akane said quickly. She wasn't sure what Ranma was about to say, but didn't want to risk her ruining the moment. Not just yet, anyways. Akane felt like she was floating on air, and wanted it to last as long as possible.

Ranma blinked at Akane, surprised by her behavior. She noticed that Akane wouldn't look her in the eyes, but decided she'd go along with Akane's suggestion. She was still hungry, after all. "Sure," she said, shrugging her shoulders to convey her lack of an alternative activity. She stopped leaning against the counter and turned to walk out of the kitchen when her weakened body gave way.

Akane caught Ranma quickly, managing to prevent her from hitting the ground. "I think you'd better let me help you walk for now," she said.

"I guess so," Ranma agreed weakly. She was a little embarrassed that she needed to be helped like this, but Akane being the one helping was the worst part for her; or the best.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ranma and Akane sat silently in the small noodle shop they had decided on. Akane had a small bowl of soba noodles sitting in front of her, but all she was doing was watching Ranma.

The red haired girl had successfully constructed the leaning tower of soba, having stacked over twenty large bowls after emptying each one into her vast belly. She was now more cheerful than when they had arrived, signaling that the food was giving back her energy.

Akane was marveled by Ranma's soba onslaught. It had started innocently enough, with Ranma weakly reaching for her first bowl and sucking in the noodles before gulping down the soup. The second bowl went pretty much the same way, but by the third bowl, Ranma was breathing new life. What transpired after that could barely be described in words. It was like seeing trash being emptied into a dumpster, only much quicker. It was the first time Akane had seen Ranma acting somewhat normal since he was stuck in his girl form, and it made her feel better about the situation.

"Man, that really hit the spot," Ranma declared. She was twirling her twenty-fourth empty bowl on her index finger like a ball.

Akane chuckled at hearing Ranma finally voice her satisfaction. "And here I thought you were hungry," she said, poking fun at the tower of dishes sitting on the table.

Ranma didn't respond to Akane's comment, although she did found it amusing. Rather than speak, Ranma let her actions speak for themselves, showing her contentment. She leaned back and placed her right foot on the table while stretching her left arm on the back of the booth bench she was sitting on. Content with her meal, she began to clean her teeth with a toothpick. It was the sort of position one would expect to see a boy in, but with Ranma sporting her female form, it looked out of place.

Akane thought about that, and felt a slight giggle begin to sneak out, but managed to suppress it. It had really dawned on her, just then, that even as a girl, Ranma was still Ranma. This fact seemed to give Akane a sense of ease, like there was at least some stability surrounding Ranma amongst the chaos that was happening.

Ranma eyed the girl sitting across from her while she cleaned her teeth. This was the first time she had really looked at Akane since they had gotten to the restaurant, and she noticed something strange about her. Ranma couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she definitely thought something strange was going on.

Akane couldn't help but notice Ranma's studying gaze, and began to feel bashful. She broke eye contact with the other girl and stared down at her half eaten bowl of noodles while twiddling her fingers nervously.

This act of bashfulness did not go unnoticed by Ranma. Usually she was oblivious when Akane acted this way, but her full concentration was on her at the moment. Ranma wanted to say something just then, but couldn't think of anything. She decided to go with what came first; her natural instincts.

"You gonna finish that?" Ranma asked, pointing at the unfinished bowl in front of Akane.

_Real genius words there,_ Ranma thought to herself.

Akane eyed the bowl and then pushed it towards Ranma without a word. She did not look up at the other girl while she ate, and sat with her hands in her lap.

Ranma accepted the small bowl and ate the remaining soba, although more slowly this time. She was still chastising herself for saying something so stupid, when she had meant to break the ice that had suddenly settled on their conversation. So, her mind was not on eating.

Akane watched Ranma eat her soba silently, trying to think of something to say. To say the least, her mind was a cluster of confusion. It was filled with scattered memories of the past three days, and the emotions they produced. Through the haze in her mind, however, Akane knew that clearing things with Ranma would fix everything. She just knew it. Words, however, would not formulate in her mind, and when Ranma set down the bowl, revealing her face, Akane quickly averted her eyes to the table.

Ranma finished the small bowl of soba and placed the bowl next to her tower. She was still trying desperately to think of a way to start the conversation that had to happen, but was coming up dry. Still, the game of cat and mouse they were playing with their eyes was wearing thin. Ranma decided it was time to leave, and dug into her pocket for money for the bill. When she felt nothing inside, her eyes went wide. Now panicking, she dug into both pockets at the same time. She drove her hands in deep and felt around frantically, as if they would conjure the money she thought she had.

Akane had glanced up when Ranma began to panic and wondered what was wrong. She watched the girl dig into her pockets while her eyes became wider and wider. When Ranma began to nervously glance back and forth, Akane decided she had seen enough.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Ranma didn't look at Akane when the question was asked. She dug into her pockets one last time, but the money still wasn't there. When she finally did answer Akane's question, her voice was higher pitched than usual, almost like a squeal.

"I don't have any money!" she said weakly. The look of dread in her eyes gave the impression that there was impending doom.

Akane blinked when she heard Ranma's panicked reply. She didn't understand at first, but quickly figured out what Ranma was so worried about.

"Don't worry," she said while digging into her purse. "I'll pay for it."

Ranma looked at Akane, eyes still wide. Her panic had been replaced with shock.

"You will?" she asked.

Akane nodded and put the money for the bill on the table.

"Just this once," she said. Her tone was serious, as if to emphasize this was a one time deal.

Ranma looked down at the money on the table, and then at the tower of dishes next to her. She felt a pain in her chest and a weight fall down on her shoulders. The guilt of what she had just done was pounding on her as hard as any mallet Akane had ever swung on her head.

"Thanks, Akane," she said, trying to hide her guilt.

"Just remember," Akane replied, "you owe me one."

Ranma knew she did, and was about to voice her acknowledgement when something else creeped into her mind. It moved in quick, and Ranma said the words before she even realized.

"Heh… trying to weasel a date out of me?" she said. She cocked an eyebrow at the other girl and curled her lips into a mischievous smile.

"Excuse me!?" Akane asked. She couldn't believe what Ranma had just said, and didn't even try to hide her anger at the comment.

Ranma knew she was treading into a minefield, but at the moment, it didn't seem to matter. It was like her mind had narrowed into a tunnel; leading down this single path of self destruction, and it fed her mouth more words.

"Don't get mad just because you got caught," she said, waving a hand like the matter wasn't a big deal. "It's no big deal," she teased. "You'll get your date," she finished in a tone that was on the edge of mockery.

Akane's mind may have been a web of confusion before, but that was then, and this was now. In an instant, her look of anger turned to shock, and then back to anger; furious anger. Every thread of the web of thoughts had been broken by the freight train that ran from her brain to her right hand. She blinked once as the instinctual whisper told her what to do, and then she complied. Without a word, she slapped Ranma across the face, wiping the grin away.

Ranma felt her senses get knocked back into her when Akane's hand struck her face. It was like getting splashed with cold water, producing a transformation, only this one was mental. The reality of her actions was now clear, and she didn't know what had caused them, only that she had.

Akane glared at the other girl with her hand still held up after the slap. She was far beyond angry at what Ranma had said, but it was more of an emotional upset, than hatred. So great was the feeling of hurt, she could feel tears welling at the lower rims of her eyes, despite her efforts to remain under control.

Ranma was rubbing her cheek when she worked up the courage to glance at Akane again. If the feeling of guilt had been heavy before, it was crushing her now. The sight of Akane on the verge of tears was heartbreaking for the redhead, but she was at a loss for words. Still, Ranma knew she had to at least try to apologize.

"Akane," she said cautiously. She reached her hand to try to hold the other girl's, but it was swatted away.

"Keep your stupid date!" Akane yelled, almost crying. She had lowered her right hand to her chest and was clenching it in a fist by her heart. "You don't have to keep reminding me how little you care about me!"

Akane's words dug deep. Ranma felt like a spike was being driven into her chest. She didn't understand why she kept screwing up like this, but now wasn't the time to dwell on that. Things were falling apart fast, and Ranma knew she had to work fast.

"Akane, that's not true!" Ranma protested.

Akane heard Ranma speak, but refused to listen. She was too upset to care, and could feel the last barrier before her tears breaking. She needed to get out of the restaurant. Not wanting Ranma to try to stop her, she grabbed the small bowl Ranma had set on the table and threw it in her face.

Ranma had not been expecting Akane to do that. So shocked with the fact that she had thrown the bowl and run off, it didn't even register that it was still full of hot soup. The collision caused Ranma to transform back into a man, but that didn't matter to Ranma. What mattered was that he had to catch up to Akane before she ran too far. He quickly jumped out of the booth they had been sitting at and ran out of the restaurant after her.

"Akane, wait!" he shouted.

Akane heard Ranma's cries, but refused to listen. _Ranma, you jerk!_ _I was only trying to be nice!_

_Damn it, why was I so stupid?_ Ranma wondered to himself while he chased after Akane. _She was only trying to be nice, and I went and threw it in her face._

"Akane, stop!" Ranma shouted.

Every time Akane heard Ranma's voice behind her, her heart ached. She wanted to turn around. She wanted to run back to him, but something kept her running away instead. She couldn't understand it, but it felt a lot like fear. Not wanting to face anything right now, she shut her eyes to try to shut out the world and just ran faster.

Ranma noticed Akane picking up speed, and doubled his efforts to catch up. Akane was fast, but he was faster. Still, at the speed she was running, it took him some time to reach her, and even then, it was only because she had stopped in her usual spot.

Akane had stopped running in the small playground near where they lived, just like she always did when she wanted to be alone. It was silly to come here, and she knew it. She knew Ranma would come here to find her, because it always went that way. Maybe, deep down inside, that's what she wanted. Maybe, it made her feel wanted.

Ranma halted his pursuit at the entrance of the playground. He watched Akane standing there, with her back to him. He knew she knew he was there. That's why she was standing there, instead of sitting on a swing. This was it. She was standing her ground, waiting for him.

Akane could sense Ranma standing behind her. What was taking him so long, she wondered? It felt like an eternity was passing by while they stood there, waiting, but for what? What were they waiting for? What was she waiting for?

Ranma gulped down the lump in his throat. He had been watching Akane for quite some time, hoping she would at least acknowledge him, but she did not. He would have to make the first move, and he knew it would be a long time before he got another chance to speak to her if he screwed this up.

"Akane, I'm sorry," he said. His voice was stern, but warm. It conveyed his determination and his genuine guilt.

Akane didn't turn around, no matter how much she wanted to when she heard those words. It was rare for Ranma to apologize, especially with that tone. For once, he wasn't graveling, or saying sorry for the sake of saying sorry. He was saying sorry, because he meant it. Still, Akane wasn't ready to speak just yet.

Ranma felt his heart sink when Akane remained with her back to him. Still, she hadn't yelled back a harsh response, so this was promising, at least. He decided to walk a bit closer before continuing, feeling uncomfortable speaking to her from so far away.

"Look, that was really stupid of me," Ranma said while rubbing his neck. He was swallowing his pride, and he knew it.

"Which part?" Akane asked coldly. She kept her back to him, and was trying to keep her voice as steady as possible. "The part where you threw my generosity in my face, or the part where you insulted me?"

As if the feeling of guilt hadn't been heavy enough, it was monumental now. Ranma could have sworn it felt like a ton of bricks had just fallen on him, because his whole body was aching. He couldn't let this blow to his pride stop him though, so he remained strong.

"Both parts," he admitted. "And everything last night," he added.

Akane listened closely as Ranma spoke. She had completely forgotten about the previous night, having been too wound up in what had just happened. She was surprised Ranma brought it up. The shock actually washed a little of her sadness away, and she could feel a measure of control returning to her.

Ranma had been walking closer to Akane each time he spoke, and was now directly behind her. Not knowing what more he could say, he placed his hands on her bare shoulders slowly and repeated his first apology.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Akane…" he spoke her name with a pleading tone, wishing she would just turn around and look him in the eyes.

Akane felt a chill run through her body when she felt Ranma's hands on her shoulders. It was different than the chills she felt when she was snuck up on. This one was tingly, and left a warm feeling in its wake. She heard the pleading in his voice, and finally gave in. She turned around to face him, not even caring that she was still fighting away her tears.

Ranma could feel his heart breaking when he saw Akane's tear stricken face. He had seen that look on more than just a few occasions, usually by his own dimwitted doing, and it had done nothing to dull the pain he felt each time. Still, there was nothing more he could think of to say. Silently, he brought his hands up from Akane's shoulders and wiped her tears with his thumbs.

Akane closed her eyes when she felt Ranma's thumbs brush her cheeks. His hands were rough from his hard life of traveling and martial arts training, but his touch was so gentle. She didn't know why, but she tilted her face upwards into Ranma's touch, sniffling as her tears were wiped way.

Ranma finished wiping Akane's tears and cradled her face in his hands. He had to admit, she looked adorable like that, and he felt some of his guilt lift now that she wasn't crying. He gazed at her pinkish face, marveling at how soft her skin was, despite her rather rough persona.

Akane sighed as Ranma cradled her face. His touch felt so hot to her, yet it made her body cold with tingly chills. She felt like she was floating, when not too long ago it felt like she was sinking into misery. It was this kind of effect that scared Akane. No one had ever had this kind of power over her feelings, and she didn't understand it. The unknown frightened her, yet, it was also so exciting she could feel herself ready to burst.

Ranma heard Akane sigh, and felt his own body loosen along with it. It seemed that the situation had been repaired. It was a quick fix, and he would have to definitely make this up to her, but he at least avoided a complete disaster. Now, however, he found himself in a rather sticky situation. Should he continue on the unknown path he had stumbled upon; one that was rather intimate? Or, should he find a way to gracefully escape, if there was one?

Ranma quickly rationalized that with his tact, a graceful escape would only mean a smooth launch into space from Akane's mallet. So, he decided to continue, but the prospect of actually doing something intimate with Akane wasn't just exciting, it was terrifying. His whole body tensed suddenly, and his legs felt like lead. An all too familiar heat suddenly filled his face, and Ranma was overcome by his anxiety.

Akane felt Ranma's body tense through his hands on her face and opened her eyes slowly. She was gazing into his eyes, seeing the strangest mixture of emotions. His brow was slightly furrowed in what could only be described as determination, but his eyes portrayed some kind of anxiety. His cheeks had turned bright red, a sharp contrast to his dark blue eyes. Those eyes locked with hers, and grew wide, magnifying each separate emotion on his face before softening into a warm gaze.

Ranma found himself gazing back into Akane's eyes. Her brown eyes were slightly shiny from her tears, but they were not sad. While her eyes were indeed slanted like she was sad, they were more hopeful than anything else. This look surprised Ranma, but he quickly recovered his resolve, and allowed it to calm his own nerves. He now found himself drawn to her, and slowly let himself get pulled in towards her face.

Akane could see Ranma's face leaning down towards her. The gravity between them was so strong, she couldn't possibly fight it, but did she want to? Would he actually do what it looked like he was going to do? Akane could feel her mind swarming with her emotions and the wonder at Ranma's current actions. Was it possible, that after all that had happened, he would actually kiss her? The idea of it was too much for her to bear, and she slowly closed her eyes, willing Ranma to make his choice.

Ranma felt an intense heat as his face drew closer to hers. This heat became hotter as the gravity between them seemed to grow stronger, pulling him closer still. Ranma did not fight it, but being so close was making him tense up again. He was expecting this dream to end at any moment and return him to a more jolting reality, but it did not. Akane was still standing there, waiting for him, while he cradled her face and leaned down until their noses literally brushed against each other. This small amount of contact is where Ranma paused.

Akane felt sparks fly as their noses rubbed together. It was the softest of touches manageable, and yet it was so powerful. Her once sniffling nose was now clear as could be, and she drew in a sharp breath, like she had just broken the surface of water. Indeed, it was like she had been swimming in an ocean of turmoil emotions, and now she was breaking out, finding her way. Still, she did not close the last inch between their lips. This was Ranma's choice t make, and she wanted desperately for him to make it.

Ranma didn't just hear Akane draw in a sharp breath, he felt. So close was he now to kissing her, he felt a cool breeze on his lips as hers drew in air. The sensation sent shivers down his body, and made him aware of his other senses for the first time. He could smell the sweet scent of her hair; a sort of lavender. While his body was hot, he could still feel the heat coming from Akane. It was a warm embrace that pulled him towards her.

Everything was now escalated to a focal point. It was now or never; Ranma had to make his move. He gazed down at Akane's closed eyes, looking for an answer. The truth was, as much as he wanted to do this, he was hoping Akane would make the last move for him. Ranma could sense that she would not, however, having seen the patient look on her face. He knew this was all on him.

Ranma gave himself a mental push and moved in. He gulped down his fears, and leaned in for the end of this tense moment. Ranma, however, let his fear get the best of him, and at the last possible split second, moved his head aside. The move caused his cheek to brush against Akane's, and brought his chin down on her bare shoulder. Not wanting to look like a complete idiot, Ranma moved his hands from Akane's face and wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

Akane could feel Ranma's lips drawing closer. She pursed her lips in anticipation, bracing her body for what would surely be an explosive moment. That moment, however, never came. All Akane felt was a warm cheek rub against hers and then Ranma's arms hugging her softly. So high had her anticipations been; so strong her hopes; so long the wait; so fast the sudden switch, she wasn't quite sure what had just happened.

The lack of reception to his hug was not lost on Ranma. Compared to what every step was leading up to, he had to admit the end result was a real let down. He felt not only Akane's warmth, but his own leaving his body. Everything had reached a fever pitch, crying for the kiss, but now that the chance had passed, it was like his entire body was emptying its existence. He felt hollow to the core. Still, he remained standing there, hugging Akane. Holding her close to him.

Akane felt cold. To say she was disappointed was an understatement. Compared to what she was expecting, this was like losing a fierce battle, and maybe she had. Still, this moment had been something special all the same, and she would remember it forever. Taking it for what it was worth, she returned the hug, snuggling ever so slightly into Ranma's chest.

Ranma felt Akane return the hug, and the tension from his body finally lifted. He firmed his embrace and rubbed the small of her back. He could feel the warmth of her skin through the thin sundress. That warmth spread through him, breathing new life where he had felt empty before. It reminded him that while it wasn't what he had wanted, this moment was still something to remember.

Akane felt Ranma's hands on her back, rubbing it softly. It was the most intimate she had ever allowed someone to touch her, and it felt nice. It was almost as if he was rubbing away her own doubts about Ranma. She sighed into the embrace and tightened her own hug, pressing herself into Ranma.

This was good, Ranma thought. While it was far from a groundbreaking admittance to his feelings, of which he was still unsure about, it was a step in the right direction. If anything, this was a good time to finish his apology.

"I'm sorry, Akane," he said, almost a whisper into her ear.

Akane heard the sincerity in Ranma's voice and would not deny him any longer. She wouldn't ruin this moment by allowing herself to be stubborn.

"I know," she replied. "It's okay."

"No its not," Ranma said. He broke their embrace and held Akane by the shoulders. He gazed into her eyes and continued. "I will make this up to you."

Akane felt strange when their hug ended. It felt like more than just physical contact was broken. She had felt so safe, so full, in Ranma's arms, and now there was a void where he had just been. She wanted to fall back into his arms, feel that warmth again, but Ranma's hold on her was firm. She was almost afraid he was pushing her away again, but his words told her otherwise.

"I know you will," she said.

Ranma smiled warmly at Akane. This is what he considered a booming success. He was about to pull her towards himself for another hug, when a sudden chill shot through him.

The chill was ice cold, and very familiar. It was his sixth sense alerting him to danger, but from where?

Akane saw Ranma's face turn suddenly pale and alarmed. She wondered what had happened to cause it when she too felt a strange presence nearby. She could not pinpoint where it was, but the ice cold aura that fell upon them was all too familiar.

"Such a powerful aura," a voice echoed. It was that mysterious ninja that had attacked their home two days ago.

Ranma felt his whole body lock up when he heard the voice. He was suddenly aware of his folly, swearing at himself for not noticing until now. Not only had he turned back into a guy, but by allowing his emotions to come out so strongly, he had radiated his aura freely, allowing the ninja to track him down from who knows how far away.

Akane recognized the voice too, and gave Ranma a worried look. This was the one thing she wanted to avoid beyond all else. The thought of watching Ranma fight this opponent was terrifying to her, and it froze her in place to think that it was going to happen now.

The voice laughed, echoing all around them. Ranma tried to spot the ninja, but couldn't see anything in the trees surrounding them. Suddenly, he felt a very cold concentration of chi behind him and turned slowly, afraid of what he might see.

The ninja was standing by some trees with his arms crossed. His face was still completely masked, but Ranma could almost feel the grin that must have been on it.

"No more running," he said, almost like he was amused.

Ranma wanted to run, but knew that what the ninja said was true. He had been caught, and there would be no escape now, especially with Akane present. He would have to fight, and had no intention of disappointing the man standing before him.

Ranma clenched his hands into fists and got into a fighting stance while putting on his best game face. This fight was premature, but he was going to give it his all.

The ninja also lowered into a fighting stance, stretching his arms and rotating them before hunching down and raising them in a defensive pose.

Akane watched the two men prepare to fight, right there in the playground. She couldn't believe that this was happening. She wanted, no, she needed to stop it. She knew there could only be one outcome from this fight, and she could barely take thinking it, let alone seeing it unfold in front of her.

The vision of Ranma's dead body had been haunting her nightmares for two nights now, and the images were flooding her mind as she witnessed the scene before her. Akane would only have this one chance to prevent that nightmare from becoming a reality, but now, at the brink, she was too scared to move.

* * *

**Author's notes:** Sorry for the delay with this update. I tried to finish it before I went out of town for my birthday, but that didn't work out at all. This one is particularly long, and to be honest, it was a lot longer in its original draft. Any comments on the length would be helpful, because I'm trying to pace things as well as possible.


	5. Void

The early evening descended on Nerima, bringing with it a golden sunset. The red sun set in the horizon, casting a warm light on a vacant playground; vacant, save for three people.

There were two men facing each other, both posed to attack each other. The third was a girl, standing behind one of the men with her hands held by her chest as she looked on in fear.

Akane felt something ominous in the pit of her stomach. Watching Ranma about to face off with the ninja had the strongest feeling of doom hanging over it.

The area around them seemed unusually quiet, as if all life in it was being pushed out by this man's presence. No birds chirped. No insects buzzed. Akane could swear there wasn't even any air blowing anymore. There was nothing.

Ranma also felt something in the pit of his stomach. He knew this confrontation was happening much too soon. He had only barely begun to grasp the training Happosai was trying to teach him, and he knew he would not be able to rely on it in this fight. Escape, however, was not an option. He couldn't endanger Akane by trying to run away.

Ranma forced any thought of retreat out of his mind and focused on the matter at hand. He knew very little about his opponent. All he knew is that he was very skilled in martial arts, and possessed knowledge of techniques that not even the three thousand year history of the amazons had record of.

Ranma recalled the eerie green aura that the ninja had radiated the one time he saw him fight. He had never seen one that color before, wondering what kind of power could produce it.

The ninja, however, did not glow green as he had before. In fact, his body wasn't emitting any sort of aura at all, making him appear quite ordinary. Ranma would not let this fool him though. He wouldn't let his guard down for anything.

The long stare down was wearing Ranma's patience. The longer he waited, the stronger the feeling in his stomach became. He needed to get this fight started, as much as he wanted to avoid it.

"Give me your name," he demanded, trying to sound confident.

The ninja appeared to smirk behind his masked face, allowing his eyes to close with mild amusement. "My name isn't important," he said.

"Well humor me," Ranma said. He was beginning to get irritated with this man's arrogance.

"It's been a long time since I've had to speak my name," the ninja explained, speaking like it was beneath him to do so.

"Then consider myself honored," Ranma spat back.

The ninja's amusement was obvious as his shoulders shook with mild laughter. He suddenly hunched down on bent knees and drew his arms back, ready to strike.

"Ku" he said simply.

Before Ranma could respond, the ninja sprang forward, beginning their battle.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter V: Void**

* * *

The ninja's sudden attack came so quickly, Ranma barely had time to realize what was happening. The single word that he had uttered made no sense to him. _Ku,_ he though. _Is that his name?_ Ranma had no time to ponder the meaning behind the word as the ninja was suddenly in front him.

The ninja attacked swiftly, throwing a combination of punches with both hands. He started with some simple jabs, but Ranma was able to easily dodge or parry each one.

Ranma quickly defended against the flurry of punches the ninja threw at him. He noted that the strikes were fast, and precise. The level of control the ninja had over his body was superior to any he had seen before, and this did not ease his anxiety. Compounding this was the fact that the sudden attack had caught Ranma off balance, forcing him on the defensive. The ninja did not leave any openings in his attacks, and the constant strikes were forcing Ranma to move backwards in order to keep some space between them.

Akane watched as the ninja seemingly moved with inhuman speed. She could have sworn he had in fact teleported to Ranma from across the playground to make his first attack, but it happened so fast, she wasn't sure. She watched, unblinking, while Ranma was forced on the defensive, her heart pounding in her ears. Each punch the ninja threw made Akane tense with worry. Even though Ranma had remained unharmed thus far, Akane couldn't ignore the fact that his opponent was obviously his superior.

Once he had gotten some distance between them, Ranma stood his ground and returned the punches in kind. He met each jab with his own, and danced around hooks and uppercuts before delivering quick counters. Neither one of them were able to land a hit, almost making them appear evenly matched.

Ranma didn't let the appearance of the battle fool him. He could sense that the ninja was holding back. The start of this fight was nothing like the ones he had witnessed before, which confused him to a degree. It was almost as if he was being tested, but for what? Was this how this man judged worthiness?

As if to verify that fact, the ninja's attacks suddenly increased in intensity. He added kicks to his flurry of fists, chasing Ranma around the empty playground.

Ranma had to flip, roll, and jump to escape the more aggressive attacks now. It was becoming clear that this was indeed no ordinary opponent, even before he had begun to use his ki attacks. The speed and power behind each punch and kick was simply amazing. Ranma was able to avoid most of the blows, but every now and then, he would have to block an attack, rather than dodge or parry. He thought Ryoga hit hard, but this man's strikes felt like iron bars when they struck his arms.

Irony has a twisted sense of humor. When Ranma had thought of that analogy, he suddenly found himself wound through the monkey bars of the play ground. He swung from bar to bar, slipping through the gaps and around the long poles surrounding them as the ninja gave chase. Even with this obstacle between them, Ranma felt he was too slow to keep avoiding him like this, and had to duck as a punch came dangerously close to breaking his face.

The ninja's fist flew right over Ranma's head and into the thick support pole of the monkey bars. A loud clang echoed through the empty playground as the pole bent with the force of the punch. Ranma glanced up at the dented pole and felt uneasy at the thought of such a hit.

_That pole has to be at last four inches thick! _Ranma thought in amazement at how easily it had bent around the ninja's bare fist.

"Geez, don't you feel anything?" Ranma asked. He was amazed that the ninja didn't appear to even notice what had just happened.

The ninja did not answer. He simply withdrew his hand from the pole the spun around into a backwards sweep.

Ranma fell over sideways to avoid the sweep. He planted his right hand onto the ground and twisted his body upwards into a back flip. He followed that flip with another, launching higher into the air and landing quite some distance away. When he focused his eyes on the ninja again, he could see that the sweep had struck the pole a second time, contorting it into a 'z' shape.

Ranma was absolutely stunned. He had, of course, seen brute strength from any number of people, but not like this. No one he knew, not even Ryoga, could shrug off these kinds of impacts like they were nothing.

"Ranma!" Akane cried.

Ranma was shocked to hear her voice directly behind him, and suddenly felt a hand grab his arm. In the heat of battle he had actually forgotten that Akane was there watching, and now found that he had backed into her while avoiding that last attack.

"A-Akane," Ranma managed to say. He wasn't able to completely hide his shock or the dread in his eyes when he turned to look at her.

Akane saw the horror in Ranma's eyes, and could feel it in her own. She had seen enough of this fight to know Ranma couldn't win, and she didn't want to find out what the price of losing would be. She grabbed hold of his arm with both of her hands and pulled on it, trying to drag him away.

"Don't do this," she pleaded. "You can't win!"

Hearing those words were like daggers to the heart to Ranma. The sudden blow to his pride triggered it awake, and he pulled his arm free from his fiancée.

"Just what are you saying!?" he asked.

Akane grabbed Ranma's arm again. She looked into his eyes with her own, trying to show her distress while she firmed her grip.

"Ranma, please!" she begged.

Ranma stared into those pleasing eyes. They cut into his resolve like a hot knife through butter. He found himself getting a little stiff, physically struggling to resist Akane's pleads. The look of fear on her face, the tone of her voice, and the grip on his arm were all working together to break him. Ranma felt it all like an immense weight, but he couldn't give in to her.

"Stop being stupid," Ranma forced out. He was struggling to keep himself under control, knowing that the last thing he needed was an angry fiancée. "Running away will do us no good!"

Akane doubled her efforts to pull Ranma by his arm. She couldn't understand why he was being so stubborn. Couldn't he see that she didn't want to see him get hurt?

"Please," she asked again. Her voice was weaker this time, trembling.

Ranma was taken aback by the sudden drop in volume to Akane's pleads. He could tell she was being completely overwhelmed by her fear, but he still did not give in. It was up to him to protect her; to make sure she never has to be afraid.

"Now you listen to me!" he shouted, trying to sound like he was in complete control. He was about to say something in between brave and stupid when he sensed the cold presence of the ninja bearing down on them.

The ninja appeared above them, dropping down with incredible speed. His right arm was raised over his head, preparing to strike Ranma. He appeared to be more serious now, as his body was surrounded by his green battle aura. The sight stopped all thought of the argument in Ranma's mind.

Ranma had no time to think or say anything. He ran on pure instinct, and pulled Akane with the arm she was gripping onto. He lifted her off the ground and scooped his other arm under her knees before quickly leaping out of the way of the ninja's attack. He had cut it close, as he felt the ice cold battle aura barely graze his skin as the ninja landed where he had just been.

The ninja's fist slammed into the ground where Ranma had just been standing. The force of the impact, paired with the ninja's tremendous battle aura, blew the ground beneath him apart. The explosion was just like when Ryoga used his baikutsai tenketsu technique, only much larger. And so powerful was the shockwave of the blast, it threw Ranma and Akane like rag dolls.

Ranma felt like a wall had slammed against his body when the explosion tossed him further into the air. He held onto Akane tightly, hoping he had absorbed most of the blast. Once the initial shock had worn off, he quickly spun in the air to reorient himself only to once again feel the ice cold chill of the ninja's aura on top of him. He didn't have time to look, and blindly flip kicked in the direction he sensed the aura.

It was mid kick when he did finally see the ninja, just as his foot made contact with his chin. Ranma followed his kick through to launch the ninja back into the cloud of dust while he flipped away. He spun once in the air to center himself and landed on his feet some distance away from the blast, which was slowly settling.

Akane had shut her eyes when she saw the blurred image of the ninja followed by an explosion. She had no idea what was going on, and held onto Ranma for dear life. She had felt a strong force throw her and Ranma into the air, followed by a spiraling sensation. Then, there was that extreme cold that she associated with the ninja's presence. She shut her eyes even tighter when she felt that, and buries her face into Ranma's chest.

By the sensation of their movements, she could tell that Ranma had reacted with a flip, and she felt them spinning before coming to a stop gently. She slowly cracked her eyes open to see that Ranma had landed with her still in his arms, and a large cloud of dust and debris some feet away. The faint image of a human figure could be seen standing slowly, surrounded by a green light.

The dust and debris cleared to reveal a large crater with the ninja standing in its center. He was rubbing his chin slowly, feeling the spot where Ranma had kicked him. He looked at the young pair for a moment while the surrounding cloud completely cleared and then began to laugh gently.

"At last," he said between laughs," I've found one." He stroked his chin once more and his laughter grew louder, until it was hysterical.

The sound of the ninja's laughter did not sit well with Ranma. From nearly two years of experience with the nutcase Kodachi, he knew all too well what hysteria was, and that laugh was certainly it. The difference, here, was that the ninja's laughter was menacing, and insane. Then, there was what the ninja had said before his laughter had turned that way.

Ranma did not understand what the ninja was talking about, and that only worried him more. The ninja had, after all, begun to use his battle aura with his attacks, signaling that the fight was for real now. Ranma was done with the test, and it would seem he had passed. He would have no choice but to meet the challenge head on.

Ranma let Akane down and freed his arm slowly from her grasp.

"Akane," he said. He did not look at her, but spoke to her sternly. He didn't want another argument to disturb his concentration. He needed to know she would be safely out of the way during this fight. "Get out of here."

Akane felt her body go numb when she heard Ranma's request. She was unable to move or speak, and stood there, statuesque. She stared at Ranma with a blank expression, not believing the words he had just spoken to her. How could he possibly ask her to leave? Was her presence really that much of a burden to him, she wondered.

Ranma noticed that Akane was not moving out of the corner of his eye. He could feel her chi with his sixth sense, and it troubled him. It was small, and erratic. It lacked the fire it usually had, and felt tense, like it was going to break. There was definitely uncertainty in her mind, and he couldn't blame her. There was no simple answer to anything in their lives, and what was happening now was far greater than any anomaly they had ever experienced before.

The ninja had stepped out of the crater by now, and was walking closer slowly. He was still laughing, but the hysteria had died down to an evil grin.

"You are worthy, Ranma," he said.

Normally, Ranma would eat up any praise he got, but he knew this was a bad thing. He had seen how easily the man before him had dealt with those he stated were unworthy. Ranma didn't know how he would deal with those that were, but was sure it wasn't going to be a congratulations celebration.

The ninja halted his advance and stopped grinning. He raised his hand to his hood and tore it off; taking with it the mask that covered his face.

Ranma was deeply disturbed now. The man, or was it boy, looked unnatural. His round face looked so young, yet had signs of elderly aging. His eyes were pure black, looking like empty, lifeless orbs upon his pale, nearly white skin. His hair was black, with a faint tint of blue, similar to Akane's. Long bangs were split and held behind his ears while the rest of it was pulled back into a very short pony tail.

Akane was also disturbed at the sight of the man's face. While he had the appearance of a young man, close to their age, the spots and wrinkles around his eyes were that of someone in the later part of his life. It was in every sense what most people would describe as a zombie, or undead.

The ninja smiled slightly and spread his arms wide. A black mist spread from his body and surrounded him, almost like a battle aura.

Ranma gulped when he saw the mist. It looked exactly like the mist from his nightmare. Memories of the nightmare that included his dead body came flooding back, and he had to struggle to force them out. He couldn't lose his internal battle if he was to win this one.

Akane saw Ranma become tense suddenly and looked at him. She couldn't see his face, but she could tell he was struggling with something within himself. She looked over to the ninja, and examined the black mist that surrounded him, thinking that is what was causing Ranma's sudden troubles.

The mist was radiating from the ninja's body like a battle aura. It hugged him close, and covered him from head to toe. Also, like a battle aura, it had a distinct feeling to it. While most battle auras were generated by focus on an emotion, this one was the complete opposite. When Akane felt it with her sixth sense, it was numb; completely devoid of all feeling.

Ranma felt it too, that numbness. It only reminded him of the vision of his dead body. Nothingness... Is that what he would become? He wondered.

_No, I refuse!_ He told himself. He concentrated everything he had on that thought, building his determination. It turned to confidence, producing a brilliant blue aura around him.

The ninja's black aura grew when Ranma's appeared, and he smiled. "Yes," he hissed," so bright! So strong!" The blackness around him suddenly collapsed, consuming his body along with it. In an instant, both had vanished into thin air.

Ranma could not believe his eyes, but his other senses were giving him other signals. The air suddenly shifted, and Ranma could sense the numb aura beside him.

"Akane, look out!" he shouted.

Ranma pushed Akane out of harms way and spun around in the direction he felt the aura. The black mist looked like it was opening a hole in the air, appearing deep. A pair of feet suddenly flew out of the mist, attacking Ranma with a kick. He quickly leaned back and raised his right arm to absorb the blow. The kick hit his shoulder, and Ranma heaved it off before leaping away.

The ninja twisted out of the black mist and landed. After spitting him out, the mist moved to once again cover his body.

Ranma didn't know what to do. He had never seen anything like that before. Sure, he had seen things similar, like when Happosai would blink from spot to spot, but the method that this man used was something else. While Happosai's blinking was the result of sudden fast movements, this man seemed to move into the mist, and then out of it, like a door. Ranma shuddered to think what would happen to him if he somehow got inside of it.

The ninja lunged at Ranma, attacking with a punch from his right hand. Ranma dodged to the side before quickly getting into a looser stance. He had let the shock of the ninja's abilities get his body stiff, and his muscles were already a little sore from that.

The two continued their fight in earnest. The ninja remained on the offensive while Ranma continued to dodge and parry each blow. Ranma could feel each attack approaching through his sixth sense. The numbness of the man's black aura was punctuated whenever their bodies made contact, leaving a sharp tingle wherever Ranma was touched. The blows were strong, and stung him slightly, but more than his body felt that strange tingle. His aura also felt it.

Each time their aura touched, it was like his was being bitten. His body was hot with the flow of chi he produced in order to extend his aura, but the numbness ate away at it. Every impact sipped the slightest bit of chi from his body, making fatigue a growing factor. Although it was slight at the moment, Ranma could feel it.

The close duel of fists continued while Akane watched closely. She was reading every move, studying the two combatants to get a feel for how the fight was going for Ranma. The ninja's attacks were just as fierce as ever, but Ranma seemed to be holding his own. She could sense something strange happening to his aura as time passed, but Ranma showed no signs of it bugging him, which prevented Akane from worrying too much. She began to even feel a little confident in her fiancé, just as she saw an opening in the ninja's stance.

Ranma saw the opening as well, and took it. The ninja had allowed his last attack, a straight strike involving both fists, to leave his entire torso open. Ranma finished his roll around the attack with his right arm extended and threw a backhand. He felt the familiar snap of his aura as it extended outwards with the attack, but what happened next was hard to describe. His arm and his battle aura both felt a tingling numbness as they moved through the mist, but never felt an impact. Ranma was sure that his attack would hit his opponent, but when he completed his spin, he saw the ninja once again disappearing into the mist completely.

Ranma was sure that he had had the ninja that time, and was furious to discover his escape. As the mist began to close, Ranma suddenly felt a spark within him and conjured a white ball of chi in his palm.

"No you don't!" He shouted. He thrust his arms forward and connected his palms. He fed more chi into the ball and quickly fired it. "Moko takabisha!"

The ball slipped into the abyss of the mist as it sealed. A brief second passed when there was an explosion a few feet to Ranma's side. He turned to see the mist spreading suddenly, and much larger than before, with the ninja flying out backwards, his body smoking.

Ranma felt a smirk curl his lips and he suddenly ran at the ninja. He was brimming with confidence now, having thwarted the ninja's trick, and had every intention of taking the offensive. He bore down on the still stunned man with a flurry of punches, using his speed training to the fullest.

Ranma's fists were a blur as they hit the man relentlessly, each one fueled by his bright blue aura. The man appeared defenseless without the aid of his black aura, and Ranma no longer felt the numbness snuffing out his own. He pumped more and more chi into his hands with each punch, his Kachu tenshin amaguriken pummel him.

The ninja absorbed dozens of blows while he recovered from his stunned state. His black aura had faded away after he took that blast while inside, but even without it, his body was strong to take the attack. After a scant few seconds, he steadied himself, still taking the blows from Ranma's attacks, and began to glow bright green. Now protected by his aura, the ninja was able to move, and swiftly threw a backhand into Ranma's flurry of punches.

Ranma saw the punch with his lightning quick eyes, and maneuvered a punch to meet it. The instant the two fists collided, Ranma felt a sharp pain in his hand, and was suddenly tossed by a tremendous shockwave.

Akane saw it happen with her own two eyes. The ninja's green aura collided with Ranma's blue one, producing a bright flash of white light along with a loud crack. The resulting shockwave flew past Akane like a fierce wind, and she watched Ranma get tossed by it while the ninja stood unmoved. She nearly choked on her breath when she gasped then, and ran to Ranma while he landed.

Ranma let out a grunt as he landed on the ground. He wasn't quite sure what had just happened. He had countered the ninja's attack with his own, but the result of the impact was like nothing he had ever seen. He wondered if this sort of occurrence was normal when utilizing your chi like this. It wouldn't have surprised him if that was the case, since this was his first time actually using his battle aura as a physical extension of himself.

Now forming coherent thought, Ranma was suddenly aware of the pain in his hand. He had never felt anything like it, and could only describe it as feeling like he had punched a steel door. He equated this feeling to the ninja's green aura, and quickly noted the distinct difference from his black one. Ranma could not believe it, but the ninja definitely had two completely separate battle auras. He was sure of it.

The black aura felt numb through Ranma's sixth sense. It moved like a misty shadow around the ninja's body, and could consume him and spit him out like some kind of abyss. Also, when Ranma's aura came in contact with it, it moved through it. When it did, his body felt heavier, and his chi felt like it was being drained.

By contrast, the ninja's green aura felt ice cold, and was rock solid around his body. As of yet, it did not appear to have the black aura's ability to consume and produce the ninja, but Ranma wasn't holding his breath. One thing he did notice, although he didn't know if it was just coincidence, was that when using the green aura, the ninja seemed to move faster. Also, completely opposite to the black aura, when Ranma's own came in contact with it, it could only be described as volatile. That shockwave caused by their impact was like a bomb going off, and Ranma's hand had absorbed the whole thing.

Ranma took all of this in and filed it in his memory as he sat up. His body was starting to feel the effects of the day's events, which was the last thing he needed now. He groaned when he was finally off his back, and rubbed his right hand gingerly to try to dull the pain that throbbed through it.

By now, Akane had reached him and kneeled next to him. She helped support him with her hands and could feel how stiff he was becoming. It suddenly dawned on her how taxed he must be at this point. He had spent his entire day training with Happosai, and had drained his entire chi reserve to the point of fainting. Then, when he finally woke up, he couldn't even stand without her help, and needed food desperately. He got the food he needed before this fight suddenly occurred, but not the rest required to heal.

At that thought, Akane suddenly felt horrible about everything. Ranma would not be in this situation now if she hadn't thrown that bowl of hot soup in his face. Doing that had revealed him to the ninja's senses, and it didn't take long for him to find them. Akane had done the one thing she didn't want to do.

Ranma could feel Akane's guilt through her chi, but chose to ignore it. Whether this was her fault or not, it didn't change anything. It didn't matter. This was Ranma's fight, and he would be damned if Akane took blame for it.

"A-k-kane…" he said weakly while struggling to his feet. He had managed to roll onto them, but his body felt much heavier than normal. It took a moment for his legs to lift him up, and that was with Akane's help.

Akane helped Ranma stand by supporting his shoulders. She could feel his muscles quivering as they struggled to carry his weight. She looked at his face desperately, begging for him to look at her, and see reason, but he kept his eyes away.

"Ranma," she pleaded," you have to stop this." Her voice was weak, as if on the verge of tears.

Ranma heard Akane's words ringing in his ears. They echoed, and hung there, repeating in a loop that same message. He understood her concern, but something within him made him act against her wishes. Whether it was stubbornness, pride, or something else entirely, he was not sure. Whatever it was, it kept him moving, and breathed new life into him.

"Just go," he said, a little more harshly than he intended. Truthfully, he was worried for the well being of Akane.

Akane had to fight back her tears at hearing Ranma trying to make her leave. It was unbearable to watch him taking a beating like this, but the thought of running away without him was impossible for her take. The fact that he would ask her to do the impossible struck something in her chest.

"But," she began to protest, but was cut off when Ranma suddenly threw his hand back at her to silence her.

"Leave!" he shouted.

Akane was stunned by Ranma's tone. The order was delivered with an angry voice, one she had never heard him use on her. He could be cruel, insensitive, and downright mean, but never did he speak as if he hated her. So shaken by the sudden drop in his tone, Akane found herself falling to her knees. She began to shake slightly, struggling to remain under control while she tried to understand why he was being this way with her.

Ranma knew what he had just done had to have hit Akane hard. He felt guilty, but couldn't dwell on it, and certainly couldn't spend time to explain himself. He saw her drop to her knees in the corner of her eyes, and begin to shiver. He could tell she was on the brink of breaking down, and closed his eyes while dropping his face slightly.

_I'm sorry, Akane. _He thought to himself, hoping she would understand in the end. _You can't follow me on this one._ Ranma opened his eyes again and lifted his head up to face reality.

The dimming night sky was punctuated by the eerie green light of the ninja's Aura. It had spread wider now, consuming a space the size of a bus. Its center was nearly was so bright, it was nearly white, while its outer edge faded in a pale emerald shade. The ninja was standing in it calmly atop a short wall on the outer edge of the playground with his arms crossed. He was waiting for Ranma.

Ranma smirked to himself. He hated to keep him waiting. With a loud battle cry, Ranma ran towards the ninja, fists raised. His aura grew large, rivaling the green with a light blue.

The ninja returned the cry in kind, although his was cynical. His aura rippled and then burst suddenly, launching him from the cement wall. He flew in a high arc towards Ranma, whom had leapt into the air to meet him head on.

Ranma saw the ninja make his move, and countered accordingly. His family's school, after all, specialized in aerial combat, so he felt this was in his favor. But in the brief second that it took for their two bodies to meet in mid air, something happened.

Everything was going fine when Ranma first left the ground. His body felt good, having caught a second wind, and his chi was flowing into a powerful battle aura. What was strange was that the ninja's aura suddenly shrank. Ranma at first thought he was weakening, but he could still feel the intense cold was as strong as ever. There was no time to consider what was happening though, and he threw a punch as he came within range of his opponent.

Ranma was confident in his attack. While he had far from mastered the chi techniques Happosai had been training him in, Ranma at least understood the concept. That basic knowledge was more than enough to know how to use his battle aura to fuel his attacks and make them hit harder. The sensation in his arm was like punching through a concrete wall, and he was sure it would be enough this time.

Unfortunately for Ranma, it was not. In that instant before their attacks collided, Ranma saw what the man had done with his aura. It was right there, in plain sight. It had condensed around him into a very thin layer of light, while his right hand was literally ablaze with it.

The last time their auras collided, it had felt like a bomb had gone off. It created a shockwave that threw Ranma like a rag doll. This time, with so much chi being fed into the ninja's fist, it was indescribable.

For Ranma, time seemed to freeze. The image of the hand surrounded by that much chi was burned into his mind right before their hands collided. His hand felt the impact like striking a mountain wall, but it didn't stop there. He could feel the ninja's battle aura biting into his, sending an intense pain straight through his arm. It felt like a hundred blades were stabbing and slicing the inside of his arm.

The pain did not stop there, for the force of the impact, like the last, had sent Ranma flying back towards the ground with great speed. The sudden movement away from the aura was like the effect of making contact, only in reverse. Now, instead of a hundred blades stabbing and cutting him from the inside of his arm, it was a hundred blades being ripped out of it. Ranma's arm tensed and his hand stretched open involuntarily to the pain.

When he landed, Ranma barely felt the pain of the fall. He had a vague feeling that he had indeed landed, since he felt a dull thud, but the pain in his arm was overrunning all of his nerves. His arm was on fire, and felt like it would have been better off being removed. He clutched it with his left hand tightly and groaned while his muscles tightened and began to spasm.

_Damn,_ Ranma cursed to himself in frustration. _Everything I try has no effect. And his aura… I've never felt anything like it before._

Ranma had no more time to think over as he heard a pair of feet land directly beside him. He didn't have to look, having felt an intense cold cover his body, but he turned his head around by habit to see the ninja above him. He was smiling menacingly, and preparing to strike him while he was still on the ground.

The ninja struck swiftly, radiating green light while he bent down and swung his hand downwards at Ranma's head. The young martial artist quickly rolled sideways out of the way of the ninja's fist. He felt the ground shake violently when the punch struck it next to his head, almost like there was an earthquake.

Not wanting to remain so open, Ranma rolled sideways a second time, narrowly avoiding a leg sweep. He then hunched into a ball and twisted into a back roll before flipping back up. He was glad that he had instinctually done that, because the ninja was rushing at him when he had finished.

Ranma barely had enough time to dodge a punch with a quick movement to his right and then block another before ducking a third. He felt sharp pains each time he had to block instead of dodge or parry, and the mysterious damage it dealt to his chi was like having his bones rattled. What's more, each blow was causing him to be stunned for a split second, because his body was reacting to the pain.

This proved to be Ranma's undoing, as the ninja made him stagger with a particularly strong straight punch that he caught with his open palm. Ranma withdrew his hand from that punch like it had just landed on a blazing hot pan, and leaned back in pain. This had left Ranma wide open, and the ninja quickly capitalized on it with a vicious punch to his stomach.

Ranma keeled over in pain when the punch struck his unprepared stomach. The force of it alone lifted him off the ground briefly, and he nearly fell to his knees when he landed. Unlike the past blows he had taken, he wasn't prepared for this one. His aura wasn't focused properly to absorb it, and it had felt just like that punch he took a few days ago. It felt like the hand went right through his torso, burning hot through his chi.

Akane felt her body go cold when she saw Ranma take that last punch. She could have sworn his body had in fact gone limp, and was overcome with dread when she saw that the ninja was not finished. She wanted to run to Ranma; to try to help him, but she was too scared. Her body refused to move, and she was forced to sit there on her knees and watch helplessly.

Ranma struggled to keep his body from collapsing as he felt the ninja's cold aura covering him. He grit his teeth and forced his body upright, glaring at the ninja defiantly.

"So," the ninja said while grinning as if amused, "you still have some fight in you. I am impressed… and pleased."

"Well, I'd certainly hate to disappoint you," Ranma spat back sarcastically, although his speech was shaky.

The ninja didn't laugh at Ranma's retort, but smiled with amusement. Without another word, he quickly took a step forward, placing his foot between Ranma's and attacked.

Ranma reacted as quickly as he could, but his body still reeling from the last attack, it was slow. He was able to barely avoid the first punch, and even block the second with by lifting his forearm over his face. The spin kick that came after that though, was much too fast for Ranma to jump over, and it ended up flipping him in midair when it hit him in the legs.

The world suddenly fell from his vision as his body was flipped in the air, and all Ranma could see was the now dark blue sky. Time was slowing down as he watched the first few stars twinkling in the budding night. It was a familiar experience, having been brought to the brink so many times before. He was approaching the limit, and his senses were starting to fail. This fact was only confirmed when his vision blurred as a sharp pain slammed his chest.

The ninja saw Ranma flip backwards in the air during his spin kick, and had followed it with a downwards chop to the chest. He watched Ranma crash into the ground on his back before lifting him to his feet by the collar of his shirt.

Ranma felt his body lifted off the ground and found his eyes staring into the ninja's when his vision focused. His eyes were block pools of emptiness as they stared back, and Ranma felt like they were sucking him in, making his body go numb. His eyes dropped to see the rest of the ninja's face. His ivory white skin, so strangely wrinkled around his otherwise youthful appearance. His lips were almost as pale as his skin, and were smiling grimly at Ranma.

"Had enough?" he asked.

Ranma's anger was rekindled by the man's question. He understood that the man was basically asking him to surrender; to give up. Ranma never gave up, ever.

"Never…" he managed to say with some effort.

The ninja's eyes widened slightly, apparently in surprise to Ranma's refusal, but that was quickly replaced with a pleased gaze.

"What drives you?" he asked.

Ranma glared back into the ninja's joy filled eyes and then over to Akane. He could see her kneeling, completely frozen in fear, and quickly shut his eyes. He was afraid if the ninja knew, he'd come for her next.

"None of your business!" he shouted back in answer, regaining some of his strength from adrenaline.

The ninja's smirk grew, and he released Ranma from his grip. Ranma fell to his feet and slumped under his own weight before steadying himself into as good a stance as he could to continue the fight. His shoulders were hunched closer together, and his head held low so his hands could block attacks towards it more quickly. His hands were raised, but not too high above his waist. He appeared exhausted.

Despite all that, the ninja did not hold back. He attacked with a straight punch, which Ranma could not dodge completely. The blow barely grazed his shoulder as he leaned to the side, biting it like a cold blade. He grimaced slightly, but it was nothing compared to what he had taken before it, and kept his focus.

Ranma could see more attacks coming, and moved as quickly as he could to counter them. The first punch was aimed at his hip, trying to catch him after he had leaned past the first, but Ranma just bent his hip out a little more to let it harmlessly swat the air beside his waist.

The next fist went for his head, which Ranma had left open. The way he was leaning sideways, there was no way for him to use his hands to block, so he instead twisted his torso until he was leaning backwards. The move was just enough to dodge the attack, and Ranma saw the fist flash over his face before retreating in a blur.

When he was upright again, Ranma dodged another punch with a quick turn on his heels, and then blocked the next pair with his hands. The iron hardness of those punches sent waves of pain all the way to Ranma's spine, but he did not relent. Almost completely driven by his basic instincts, he made a swing for the ninja.

The ninja dodged the rather feeble attack attempt all too easily, and even allowed Ranma a second swing at his face before jabbing his open side. Ranma bent over his side from the blow, and the ninja sent him stumbling backwards with a pair of punches to the face, the second much harder than the first.

Ranma felt the first punch to the face like he had been hit with a brick to the face. It threw him backwards, but through sheer strength of will, he remained planted on his feet. The second one brought flashes of memory. It felt like Akane's mallet had just belted him, and in his dazed state of mind, the familiarity slightly dulled the horror in his chest. This blow was too much to take though, and he had to stumble backwards in order to stop himself from falling.

While staying on his feet was usually a good thing, this only proved to prolong Ranma's suffering. As he just managed to balance himself from his stagger, the ninja appeared beside him and kicked him in the side of his ribs. The attack sent him stumbling again, only to stop as the ninja appeared again, this time on his other side.

_He knows how to blink!_ Ranma's mind screamed in revelation. His opponent had suddenly revealed a whole new level of lethalness that Ranma could have done without.

The ninja struck Ranma in the side of his head this time, sending his mind spinning. Ranma was hanging onto his control by a thread, concentrating on remaining that way while he took the beating. He couldn't afford to black out.

Akane continued to watch helplessly as Ranma stumbled lifelessly around in a circle while the ninja blinked from spot to spot. Each time, he only appeared briefly, quickly vanishing after each delivering an attack that sent Ranma in a new direction. Akane knew he couldn't take much more if this and neither could she. As she felt Ranma's aura dying away, he heart sunk. Each blow dropped a lump in her stomach, and she soon found herself shutting her eyes, unable to watch anymore.

Ranma had no idea what was happening as his body was pummeled from every direction. He could only assume the ninja was blinking around his movements to catch him with attacks, because he never was able to see him during this assault.

He could no longer hear clearly, the sounds around him spinning into a sea of echoes. His sense of touch could only feel pain as his body was hit repeatedly, and his chi felt the searing pain as well. His vision was nothing but a blur of colors, barely reminding him he was still awake. He just wanted it to end. He couldn't take much more.

A sudden strong blow to his gut made him bend over and cough up blood. No blows followed, and Ranma allowed himself to slowly drop to his knees. He fell onto his hands and shut his eyes while breathing deeply. His body was shaking violently, and he had to struggle to remain still. Each breathe burned his lungs, and after a few, he choked on something in his throat.

Ranma coughed violently to clear his throat, spewing more blood from his lips. He saw the spots of red on the concrete, and doubled his efforts to regain himself. He gathered the tethered remains of his chi together and breathed deeply, making it flow through his body. It spread slowly, calming his muscles, and warming his flesh. Now under control, Ranma began to formulate a plan to use the last move he had.

"Still, you resist," the ninja said. He had appeared several meters away from where he left Ranma coughing, and was watching him recollect himself.

Ranma glared towards the ninja as best he could. He saw the ninja start to slowly walk towards him. His aura had once again spread to encompass a large area of space, and Ranma was amazed that everything wasn't coated with a thin layer of frost, it had become so cold.

Ranma frowned at that thought, because it suddenly dawned on him his last ace would not work. The hiryu shoten haa required his opponent to generate an extremely hot battle aura, but this man's only became colder and colder. Ranma was out of options. He would have to gamble it all on one last attack, and hope that using it could overwhelm him.

Ranma stood and wiped his mouth clean of the remaining blood. He crossed his forearms in front of his face while summoning all of the chi in his body. His aura bloomed into a blue light that engulfed the entire playground, and the ninja visibly smirked at seeing it.

Akane noticed the sudden change in the air around her. The cold gave way to a strange warmth, and she gathered the courage to crack her eyes open again. What she saw took her breath away.

Akane witnessed as Ranma's battle aura grew larger than she had ever seen before. It didn't just fill the area with light; his very being could be felt. No one else would have noticed that strange presence, but Akane could. She could feel his courage, his pride, his honor, and his… sadness? Yes, amongst all the good in his aura, there was that single, distinct emotion straying underneath it all. Ranma was sad.

Ranma could feel an overwhelming sadness leaking form his heart as he set his plan in motion. He knew the consequences of failure now. With so much being put into this one attack, he would be nearly defenseless afterwards. Ranma, of course, had always been prepared to sacrifice his life for the art, but that didn't mean he would be going without regrets. There was one matter in his life he did not want to leave unresolved.

_Akane…_ Ranma thought sadly. He knew why, although he still wouldn't fully admit it to himself, and surely not to her. That was the problem. That was why Ranma felt this sadness. That was why Ranma could not lose this fight.

_No! _Ranma pushed his fears and the sadness away as a newfound determination grew in its place. _I can't lose! I won't! _He clenched every muscle in his body and summoned more chi from pools he did not know existed within him. Ranma felt that he could barely contain it, but kept it going, becoming more confident.

Akane watched as Ranma's aura grew bigger, and brighter. His being now dominated the air around her, and it no longer was held down by the weight of sadness. Now it was overflowing with confidence. It was so strong, Akane could think of only one reason for it. She knew that Ranma was going to throw everything he had into a single attack; a moko takabisha.

Ranma felt a strange awareness around him as his battle aura expanded. He could feel everything within it, like tiny ripples in its light. He could feel Akane still kneeling on the ground. Not only could he feel her physical presence, but he could also sense her chi through his aura. In it, he could sense her apprehension, but he did not let that deter him.

A new presence had entered into his aura, and Ranma felt the extreme cold permeating through the warmth of it. He could see the ninja's pale green light cutting through his blue one. He was advancing towards him slowly, and Ranma took that time to focus on his target.

Ranma pushed everything else out of his enhanced sense, and concentrated on the ninja's footsteps. Each one sent a cold ripple through his aura, each stronger than the last. He shut his eyes and felt each one, allowing them to pass through him, letting him know how close the ninja was.

The ninja was getting close, and Ranma could feel it. It wouldn't be long now, and Ranma prepared to make his move. He continued to concentrate on his aural sense, and felt something besides the cold contrasting his warmth. There was a bright spot to his side, and he recognized it again as Akane's chi. It was radiating hope.

That was all Ranma needed, and he felt a fire burn in him. He uncrossed his forearms and held his hands in front of his chest like they were holding onto a ball. A spark of white flashed between his fingertips before growing into a ball of chi.

The ball seemed to spin between Ranma's palms as his aura swirled around him and into it. It grew larger and brighter, and soon it began to radiate Ranma's confidence. It was overwhelming for Akane, nearly blinding, but she was mesmerized and stared unblinking. It was like Ranma was creating the sun in the palm of his hands.

The ninja was undeterred by this display of power. He continued to advance towards Ranma, walking with his own confidence. He would reach him in just a few more steps.

Ranma felt the cold reaching him, and pushed his chi harder, forcing it into his chi ball faster. He only had a few more seconds, and readied to fire at the last possible moment.

Another wave of cold passed through Ranma, and he planted his feet into the ground. He drew in a deep breath, letting the last of his chi fill every fiber in his body. It was time.

"Moko," Ranma said softly, but confidently. He opened his palms slightly, allowing the chi ball to suddenly grow to the size of large beach ball. It was so large and bright now, Ranma could not see a thing, but he could still feel the ninja advancing, and another cold wave passed through him.

"Taka," Ranma said a bit louder. One more step was all he had left to hold onto the ball of white chi. He could feel the cold aura on his body now, biting into his skin, but he held on and waited. A wave that was slightly colder passed through him and he threw his hands forward while opening twisting his palms forward.

"Bisha!" Ranma shouted so loud it echoed through the skies. The ball of white chi exploded into a massive beam of light. It was larger even than Ryoga's perfect shishi hokodan, and Ranma could feel his feet sliding back from the force of shooting it.

Akane felt a massive wave of force hit her body when Ranma launched his chi ball. Her eyes were blinded by white light, and she turned her face away while shielding it with her arm. She, however, did not want to miss this, and slowly cracked her right eye open to watch.

The ninja had stopped walking when the ball of chi was thrown into his face, and Akane could see his silhouette standing within it. It was pale, barely visible, and there was no sign of his green aura within the intense white light. As the chi blast grew larger, literally tearing the concrete ground around them, Akane was forced to cover her head. The last thing she saw before shutting her eyes for good was the ninja's silhouette consumed into the light, and vanishing within it.

Ranma saw it too. The ninja's body was a black form within his moko takabisha, and it vanished in its light. He had hit him dead on. He could still feel the cold of the ninja's aura, but it was smaller now. It was shrinking to Ranma's overwhelming chi.

Ranma felt more confidence build within him, and let it flow into the chi blast. It grew even larger, and ripped the ground apart at his feet. He felt the concrete turn to rubble, as a loud sonic boom roared into his ears. When it was all over, his eyes saw twinkling spots as the white light slowly dimmed.

It took a moment, but his eyes eventually refocused. They surveyed a smoking path of ruin cutting through the playground. A strip about ten feet wide was torn into the ground at Ranma's feet, and went about twenty before tapering off. Ranma had, after all, aimed the blast slightly upwards, not wanting to rip apart a square mile of Nerima. Ranma let out the breath he had been holding as the dust began to settle.

The smoke in front of him cleared, and Ranma choked. Standing there, still flashing an amused smirk, was the ninja. His body was smoking, just like the rubble surrounding him, but did not appear to be harmed otherwise.

"Not bad," he said, although it wasn't praise. Ranma could pick up on the sarcasm.

Ranma was speechless. He had thrown everything he had into the chi blast, and it didn't even faze the man. He was completely stunned as the ninja took one more step to clear the distance between them.

The ninja smiled evilly as he reached Ranma and pulled back his right hand to strike. He paused for a moment, and appeared to admire the young man before him.

"You are worthy," he said.

Ranma heard the words, and something within him snapped. He didn't know what it was, but something in his mind had been knocked out of place. All he could do was laugh to himself as the ninja struck him in the face, and his world shattered like glass.

* * *

**Author's notes: **Okay, got this one done a bit faster than the last. It's been a while since I've written a real fight scene, so I hope it makes enough sense to illustrate my intention for it. Please leave any comments or suggestions for me, and I hope you enjoy this fanfic so far.


	6. Hope

**Disclaimer:** Some people have asked when exactly this story takes place in relation to the manga. It is meant as a continuation, and occurs some time after the failed wedding, at the end of that school year. It hasn't been brought up in the story because well, I think it's cheesy, and a cliché that too many fanfics beat readers over the head with. Do we honestly need another story that starts with reminiscing about the failed wedding or tosses out the Saffron reference in the first chapter? I certainly don't think so.

There will, however, be a rewrite of chapter one coming soon to better explain when this fanfic takes place, and some of the situations the characters are in. That should be coming at the same time as chapter seven.

* * *

Akane sat quietly in a dark room. She was surrounded by plain white walls with a single window that had its blinds shut, blocking the afternoon sunlight. A single bed with a small redheaded girl lying in it, unconscious, was in the middle of the room, with a pair of seats next to it. The girl was lying perfectly still with her eyes closed softly. There was no emotion on her face, just peace. It looked much like someone on their deathbed, and Akane was holding the girl's hand like she was.

Ranma's female form laid in the bed in a deep coma. She was connected to an IV and a life-sign monitor, which beeped steadily with her pulse. Another screen next to her bed displayed a line that spiked and dipped steadily, showing the lack of active brain activity. Her mouth was covered by an oxygen mask, and the loud sound of her aided breathing was the only sound in the room besides the beeping.

Akane was completely silent as she sat with her head hung low. It hadn't always been so quiet in that small room. The first hour since Ranma had been moved there had quite the commotion as the Tendos and Saotomes, and everyone else involved with Ranma, for that matter, crammed into it to make sure he would make it.

Akane remembered watching them argue with each other over the proper way to treat Ranma's coma. Shampoo and Ukyo, unsurprisingly, had come to blows and their usual shouting matches over who was Ranma's rightful fiancé. This small scuffle led to others fighting with each other, often bringing up Akane's name and the story she had told them while they did. She remained silent then, even though she wanted to defend herself at some of the harsh words that were spoken. She felt that if she had spoken, she would have broken down entirely.

Thankfully, the doctor in charge of Ranma's care took some time to assure them the girl would be just fine, and everyone, with the help of the nursing staff, eventually calmed down. After some rather tense apologies, they eventually left, although Shampoo and Ukyo took extra convincing to leave Ranma alone to heal.

Shampoo only agreed to leave, albeit hotly, because Cologne insisted she was needed to open the Cat Café. She looked like she could kill with the look in her eyes alone as she glared at Akane and Ukyo and then stormed out of the room after her great grandmother and Mousse.

Ukyo, on the other hand, was in full control of her restaurant, and was more than willing to keep it closed while she watched over her 'Ranma-honey'.

As was usually the case, Konatsu's pleas of reason fell on deaf ears. Ukyo was too busy getting lost in her little fantasy world Soun and Genma chose this opportunity to politely 'assist' Konatsu, and knocked the okonomiyaki chef out.

While Konatsu dragged her unconscious boss out, the doctors continued to try to persuade Akane to leave as well. They explained that her family was waiting for her outside, but she refused to go to them. She knew they would understand, and most of them would actually insist that she stay by Ranma's side. She didn't like encouraging their parents when they behaved like that, but back then, that was the least of her worries.

Akane would not leave, no matter what the doctors said, and they eventually relented. They bid her farewell, as did her family. They all filed into the room, but remained by the door while they said goodbye, or gave advice.

Kasumi was her usual cheerful self, beaming sunlight while she smiled. She played the perfect mother as she instructed Akane on eating and resting properly while remaining in the hospital.

Nabiki, on the other hand, cracked a wise smile, and made some selective comments, which made Akane feel hot. After doing her thing though, Nabiki's composure had become serious, and she reminded Akane that finals were next week. Akane barely remembered her sister reminding her, and even now, it didn't seem important in the grand scheme of things. She knew this constituted as a family emergency, and although it would take some work, they could workout a test date during the summer break.

Their parents were unusually mellow. She was half expecting them to be dancing by then, brandishing sake to toast at the uniting of their schools. Akane was almost disappointed that they merely stifled their tears and thanked her for her resilience.

Ranma's mother offered a similar thanks and goodbye, embracing Akane tightly while crying. She remarked at how luck Ranma was to have such a caring fiancé and then joined the others as they left, leaving Akane alone in the suddenly quiet room. She stayed by Ranma's side alone, and the next eight hours were accompanied by her soft, sometimes heavy, crying.

She had blamed herself for what happened to Ranma, not just because she was the one that turned him back into a man, but because she was no help to him. She had always prided herself in being a martial artist, and always wanted Ranma to respect her as one. But, with so much on the line, she had become frozen in fear. No matter how much she had wanted to, she couldn't help Ranma. It was these thoughts that she beat herself with while watching over Ranma in the hospital, and it was leaving her rather emotionally drained.

Akane had been sitting there for nearly two days. Each day was filled with long hours of her sitting with her hand over Ranma's, hoping for some movement. She didn't know why, but she was terrified at the thought of leaving, as if he would be gone forever if she did. The doctors had tried assuring her that there were no indications that Ranma's condition would worsen, but she didn't believe them. They didn't see what she had seen. They didn't have to watch the life drained from Ranma's body.

Every minute since Ranma's fight with the ninja had felt like an eternity to Akane, and after countless hours, she could no longer even cry. It had ended; after all, just like her nightmares had shown it to her, except instead of holding Ranma's unconscious male body, she had been holding his girl form. That small detail was the only thing that gave Akane hope.

She recalled her nightmares, and Ranma had died in them. There was no other way of describing it. But he was a man then, and this defeat ended with him as a girl. Now, here they were, in a hospital, with Ranma unconscious, but alive.

Akane held onto that thread of hope desperately, trying not to break down under her despair. It had been hard enough to witness that fight once, but to replay it in her mind and describe it to the others afterwards was nearly as bad. She could recall every detail perfectly. She even felt the numbness and cold when she talked about it, as if the ninja was in the very room.

It was that fact that made Akane avoid sleep at all costs. Her nightmares replayed that day every time she shut her eyes. She had lasted over twenty-four hours since the last time she fell asleep, but now exhaustion was starting to win over her. She blinked her eyes wearily, and tried to remain alert. She knew what was coming if she shut her eyes, and didn't want to relive it again.

Akane, however, could not hang on. Her grip on Ranma's hand loosened as the rhythmic sound of her breathing lulled Akane's mind to rest. She made one last vain attempt to remain awake, but her lids felt heavy, and she soon closed them to the darkness.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter VI: Hope**

* * *

Dr. Tofu adjusted his glass on the crook of his nose while reading over a report on Ranma. Although he had no authority at the hospital, as Ranma's 'family' doctor, he was able to keep updated on his condition, and did so at least twice a day by visiting the complex.

On those visits, he also took time to check on Akane's condition. He was unable to persuade the young girl to go home and get some rest, and her condition was worsening each time he came by. What was worse was that she had effectively shut herself out from him, refusing to talk about what she was going through.

The young doctor let out a resigned sigh and put down the clipboard he had been looking at. Ranma's condition remained unchanged; comatose, but stable. That did not surprise him really, although he had been expecting, at least a little, for the spirited Ranma to recover by now.

_That beating must have really taken it out him,_ Tofu thought. He recalled the grim details that Akane had relayed to him, and felt a chill move up his spine. The battle sounded terrifying, and inhuman. He began to stroke his chin as he thought her description over. He knew the answer to waking Ranma from his coma was somewhere in that battle. He just knew it.

Dr. Tofu was thinking so hard about the answer to Ranma's problem that he hadn't noticed a pair of people walk up to him from behind.

"Ah, Dr. Tofu!" an older man said. He looked to be in his late forties, or early fifties, having just a touch of grey at the tips of his otherwise black hair. His eyes were dark brown, nearly black. He was dressed in a white lab coat that covered his real clothes, except for the bottom of his tan pants.

Dr. Tofu jumped a little as he was shocked out of his meditation and looked behind him. He recognized the doctor in charge of Ranma's care, and accompanying him was a young, female nurse, whom he hadn't met before.

"Dr. Kaneda," Tofu greeted. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and gave a nervous smile. He wasn't really comfortable in these modern hospitals, and speaking to 'by the book' doctors always felt awkward to him. "How are you this evening?"

"Very good, thank you," the older man replied and smiled. He handed his clipboard to the nurse and she bowed before leaving down the hall. The two doctors returned the bow and watched her leave before turning back to each other to talk.

Tofu's warm smile faded into his uncomfortable one when the nurse left. As a private clinic doctor, he had a more wholesome approach to patient care, and interaction in general. Due to that, he had to think over his behavior closely when it came to keeping things professional. He knew that Dr. Kaneda, like most doctors, did not get nearly as personal as he did with his patients.

"Any change at all, doctor?" Tofu asked, keeping it simple. He already knew the answer, having just read it in Ranma's report, but was hopeful something had happened in the hour since it was made.

"Not really," the Kaneda replied, although there was a curious tone to his voice. He seemed to be contemplating something when he gave that answer, and was rubbing his chin thoughtfully while the words sort of dragged out.

Tofu picked up on the suggestive nature of the man's answer. He felt there was something more, and decided to dig a little.

"But there is something?" He asked, trying not to sound too nosey, or hopeful. While he was privileged to Ranma's reports and care at the hospital, he still did not want to overstep his bounds.

The older man stood there a moment, rubbing his chin. He seemed to be in deep thought, and glanced at the door to Ranma's room before looking back at Dr. Tofu. He nodded slowly and then crossed his arms.

"There is an anomaly," he said, sounding a little grim.

Dr. Tofu didn't like the sounds of that. Dr. Kaneda's tone sounded like there was some sort of problem with Ranma's condition; one that they couldn't explain or treat. If that was true, Tofu wasn't sure how he was going to break the news to everyone after he left the hospital to meet with them.

"What is it?" he asked, trying to remain professional, although he now found it quite difficult to not grab the other doctor's shoulders and give in to his emotions.

"We're not sure," Kaneda answered while closing his eyes, as if defeated. "It showed up a few hours after your visit this morning," he explained. "Brain activity in Ranma began to fluctuate, without a pattern."

Tofu nodded as he took in the explanation, and found he agreed that the anomaly was strange. It was not unusual for patients in comas to display brain activity, but in those cases, that activity was always a looped pattern. This result the doctor described was suggesting conscious thought.

"Any idea what's causing it? He asked. He had very little personal experience with coma treatment, so he was genuinely curious.

"That is one thing we have managed to figure out," the other doctor replied with a slight smile. "It would seem the other girl with her is what's causing it."

"Hmm? Akane?" Tofu asked in wonder.

Kaneda nodded and looked back at Ranma's door. "Yes, it would seem those two share a very special bond. Utilizing special bonds is a common form of coma treatment. While there is no empirical proof; many people, even in the medical world, believe those bonds can reach people in their comatose minds."

Tofu nodded again and also looked towards Ranma's door. He knew Akane was by Ranma's side as they spoke. It was him that had brought her clothes and food from home after he had failed to persuade her to go there for some much needed rest. He began to wonder how Akane was reaching Ranma through their bond.

"Do you know how she is communicating this bond to Ranma?" he asked, returning his eyes to the other doctor.

"Why, yes," Kaneda replied, a little cheerfully. He withdrew a small notepad from his coat pocket and flipped through it. After a short search, he found the page he was looking for and handed it to Dr. Tofu.

"I've sent the nurse with my official typed report," he explained as Tofu took the notepad from him. "But, my personal notes should sum it up for you."

Tofu took the notepad and skimmed over the scribbled notes. He noted the times marked by each scribbled sentence, surprised at how frequent the anomaly seemed to occur. He also noticed the detail that the notes took on as time progressed. The first small page only talked about the anomaly in Ranma's brain activity, then noted the absence of a loop. When Tofu flipped the page, he saw a dark circle around a note, and discovered that it was when the doctor first noticed the possible link that Akane had with Ranma's brain activity.

The notes were much more detailed now, describing each spike or drop in activity as well as what Akane was doing at the time. Tofu rubbed his chin thoughtfully while he memorized the notes. He read every detail, and pictured them in his mind, trying to match them with anything he may have experienced between the two in the past. Unfortunately, he had to admit that his interactions with Ranma and Akane together were usually limited to quick medical treatments, usually for Ranma after taking a blow to the head from Akane.

_Maybe that's all Ranma needs… a sharp blow to the head. _Tofu chuckled internally to himself, and then mentally slapped his thoughts. _Now's not the time for jokes. This is serious._

Kaneda seemed to notice Tofu's little mental scuffle and raised an eyebrow at him. He waited for the young doctor to close his notepad before speaking.

"You seemed to be thinking something just then, doctor," he said. "Find something interesting?"

"Mmm?" Dr. Tofu replied. He rubbed the back of his head absentmindedly and looked up to the ceiling, as if searching for an answer. "Well… not really," he said.

"But, there is something?" Kaneda asked, almost sounding hopeful.

Tofu stood in silent contemplation for a moment. He was pondering how to best answer the doctor, knowing he couldn't go into too much detail. He had to indeed watch his step here, because no one in the hospital was aware that Ranma was really a boy, and he didn't want to know how that could affect things.

"It's nothing, really," he said finally. He was about to hand the other doctor his notepad, when a young woman called warmly to him.

"Why, hello, Dr. Tofu," Kasumi said, wearing her usual warm smile. She was carrying a small basket that appeared to be filled with prepared food.

Dr. Tofu went stiff, and his glasses suddenly clouded. His eyebrows twitched nervously, and a second later, he turned to Kasumi with a dumb smile plastered on his face.

"Kasumi!" he replied. "Why, what a pleasant surprise to see you here!"

Dr. Tofu suddenly tore the notepad in his hands in half. Dr. Kaneda cried in shock and tried to interject, but Dr. Tofu appeared to be in his own world as he crumbled and tore the pages nervously.

"Yes, it is," Kasumi agreed, chuckling at the young doctor's behavior.

"D-Dr. Tofu!" Kaneda finally said through his still shocked mouth. "What are you doing!?" He was leaning over and catching stray scraps of paper as they fell from the younger doctor's hands.

Dr. Tofu did not respond to the doctor, appearing like he didn't even notice he was there anymore. He just crumpled the torn notepad in his hands more vigorously and laughed nervously at Kasumi.

"What brings you here?" he asked, somewhat dumbly. "You don't look like you need any medical attention."

"Oh my, you're so silly, Dr. Tofu," Kasumi giggled. "I'm just here to bring Akane some food to eat," she said, lifting the basket on her left arm. "When you told me she wasn't eating, I got so worried."

Tofu tilted his face down towards the basket, but with his glasses as fogged up as they were, didn't really see much. "How thoughtful of you," he said.

"And what's that you have there?" Kasumi asked; eyeing the notepad he had reduced to shreds.

"Hmm, this?" Dr. Tofu asked while lifting his tight fists of paper shreds. "It appears to be trash," he said, noting the condition of the paper. "I wonder where it came from," he said while spreading his hands suddenly and dropping the bunch of shreds.

Dr. Kaneda's eyes went wide when he saw what his precious notepad had been reduced to. He was only thankful that he had already recorded them all in his report on Ranma's condition already. He watched the shreds fall like snowflakes while Kasumi giggled.

"Dr. Tofu is so silly, don't you think?" she asked to the older man she did not recognize. He was on his hands and knees watching the paper fall.

"Yes," Kaneda replied lamely. He watched the last of the shreds fall to the ground and sighed. "He's quite the character."

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Akane watched helplessly as Ranma took a straight punch to his face. The sound of the fist hitting him echoed loudly in the silent playground, and the force of it seemed to shake the ground. A harsh wind blew past her, like a shockwave, and pushed the swings, which creaked on their rusty chains.

_No! _Akane cried in her mind. She shut her eyes tightly, hoping she would see something else when they reopened, but no such luck. Everything appeared just as they had that night.

A thin layer of smoke and dust still floated about the ruined playground. There was rubble scattered throughout the area, with a path ripped into the ground that stretched a good twenty feet. Everything was dead silent, except for the squeaking of the swings.

Ranma had staggered backwards from the blow, and looked almost lifeless as he stumbled to a stop. Akane had seen this too many times already, but still, her reaction was the same. She reached her hand out to him futilely from where she sat on her knees. _Ranma!_

Ranma stood there limply for a moment, looking completely exhausted. Akane watched, hoping, begging her mind for it to be different this time. Ranma remained still, just like he had at this point in the real fight, and just as he had in every nightmare she had of it since. This moment of pause always left Akane hanging to hope, but just like before, it did not take a different path.

"Akane!" Ranma cried. It was a shout filled with raw emotion. It echoed loudly, and hung in the air as he stretched the end of her name with his breath.

Akane heard Ranma cry her name, as if to the heavens. It was like a roaring battle cry that shook her out of her frozen state. It felt like invisible chains had been shattered, and she could once again stand. She could almost feel what Ranma was planning to do. It was what any warrior would do in the face of death. He was making his last stand.

"Ranma!" Akane cried back, hoping her it would reach him. She new his mind was broken, running on survival instincts. There was no stopping him now, but still, she hoped she could reach him. She had to reach him.

Akane, however, could not reach his ears with her cries. She watched through fearful eyes as Ranma began running at the ninja, just as she had watched a dozen times before. Just like then, she was unable to reach him; to wake him from his battle haze. She cried out his name again, louder than last time. Her throat started to hurt from shouting so loud, and her face became red, but Akane didn't care. She kept shouting, wishing she didn't have to watch this.

Ranma still appeared to not hear her, and continued to run at the ninja, who was also running at Ranma. Their aura's consumed the air between them, clashing like fire and ice.

Akane could feel Ranma's aura spreading from him like a wild fire. If she hadn't already witnessed this before, she would have been filled with hope at its presence. She, however, knew what was coming.

Ranma and the ninja charged at each other quickly with their right hands raised to strike. The ninja had the same sadistically pleased smile while Ranma was screaming with his eyes shut. When they reached each other, their auras spread against each other like there was a barrier that kept them apart. The pair of fighters both punched with their right hands, attempting to pierce that barrier.

Akane watched the two men strike at each other. Their right hands collided where their auras were pressed against each other, and simultaneously forced them to mix at that point. The two auras appeared to swirl together briefly before ripping apart violently in an explosion.

Like the previous times, Ranma was thrown backwards by the force of the explosion, but this time, the ninja was thrown back as well. He did not travel as far, and actually had been on his feet the entire time, and was merely pushed back. But, it was the first sign that he could actually be overwhelmed.

Ranma, on the other hand, flew quite a distance, arcing towards the fountain in the center of the playground.

Akane watched, just like she had before, as Ranma went flying into the fountain in the center of the playground. She felt an unsettling dread in the pit of her stomach. It was all happening again, just like before. Nothing had changed, no matter how hard she tried to break free from her trance, and knowing each part before it happened only made her more afraid to watch.

Akane wanted to turn away, but could not. Even thought she was conscious of what was happening in this dream, there were things she simply could not do. Not watching was one of those things. She would be forced to watch this nightmare play out again, and it continued just like she remembered.

The ninja had recovered from being pushed back. He appeared surprised, but that look only lasted a brief second before another smile replaced it. He brushed off his gi and leapt over to the fountain. He landed a few feet from its edge and stood with his arms crossed. He waited proudly for Ranma to get back up, grinning.

"You continue to amaze me, Ranma," he said. He was watching Ranma struggle in the fountain's water, unable to really see him in the now dark night sky.

Akane heard Ranma cough water out of her mouth and saw water splashing around the surface of the fountain from where she was standing. She knew that the water had caused Ranma to change into a girl, and really didn't want to see this part. She actually flinched when she saw the small, fair skinned, hand rise from the water. When Ranma's red haired head slowly plopped over the edge of the fountain, followed by her obviously female boy, Akane thought she could throw up from the unsettling feeling in her stomach.

The ninja stopped grinning when he saw the small redhead climb out of the fountain. His cold aura vanished for a second as he glared at the little girl, and then returned, colder than before.

"You…" he said accusingly. His aura's green light was so strong now it almost appeared that the area around them had darkened slightly.

Ranma did not answer, coughing for air instead. She fell to the ground from the edge of the fountain and remained on her hands and knees.

"You dare interfere again?" the ninja asked. He was glaring at Ranma intensely, and seemed furious. It was the first time since he appeared that he showed any emotion besides his perverse joy.

Ranma continued to cough for air, but slowly came under control as the ninja asked his question. She looked up to him from where she remained on the ground and growled.

"I'll never give up," she said. She regained some of her fire when she said that, glowing faintly with what little chi she had left.

The ninja grunted at Ranma's continued defiance and bent down on one knee and put his hand on Ranma's head. He glared into her defiant eyes and then suddenly fisted her hair and lifted her off the ground.

"I'll teach you to interfere again," he said grimly.

Ranma groaned as she was lifted by her hair. Her body was completely limp as it hung over the ground. The only sign of life Ranma gave was a weak glare and strained growls. Akane could not bear to see Ranma like that.

"No!" she cried.

Unnoticed to the pair of fighters, Akane had recovered from her dread, and had run to them. She grabbed onto the ninja's arm that held Ranma and began to pull on it roughly to try to free the girl.

"Let her go!" she demanded.

The ninja watched Akane struggle feebly with his arm for a moment before throwing her to the ground. He glared down at her while and spoke before she could get up.

"Stay down!" he ordered. He turned back to look at Ranma, who was dangling from his hand, nearly unconscious. "It won't do me any good to have both of his women dead!"

Akane felt something in her light on fire when she heard him speak. She remembered hearing the man speak those words the first time. The torrent of emotions she felt was overwhelming, and confusing, but there was definitely anger within them. Back then, she didn't understand why it angered her so much to hear him say that, but after so many repeat visits in her nightmares she knew what it was.

_Ranma wouldn't do that to me!_ She thought. _He can be mean, and insensitive, but he would never treat me like that. _Akane, of course, was being hopeful.

"Now you wait just one minute!" she shouted, sounding quite angry. Although her mind was thinking it for a different reason, the dream was playing it out like it had happened two days ago. Akane understood now that she was speaking reflexively at the suggestion she was Ranma's woman.

The ninja did not listen and dropped Ranma to the ground. He watched her fall to her knees and removed his sword from the sheath on his back.

The sound of the blade sliding out of its metal cover gave Akane the feeling of doom. The anger drained from her body and she suddenly felt deathly cold. She again grabbed onto the ninja's arm, but like before, was tossed aside without a word.

The ninja did not heed Akane's pleas, and advanced on the already defeated Ranma. He held the blade upright in front of his face and began to chant something to himself. As he did this, he was surrounded with his black aura, while the blade was filled with green light.

The ninja finished his chant and swung his blade to his side. The blade flashed brightly, and several shadowy images of himself appeared around him. The figures appeared to be made of black mist from his aura, and each had a blade of green light in their right hand, just like his katana.

Akane was speechless when the ninja conjured several mages of himself. There were four of them, each with their own katana formed from green ki. Their bodies were made of the same black mist that permeated from the original's body, giving them a rather horrific appearance. Their forms of smoke did not look solid, and it was a wonder that they even remained in shape. The mist evaporated from their bodies like smoke.

As the ninja moved, so did his four shadow images. They mimicked his motions perfectly, performing them a spit second after he did in perfect unison. The ninja spun his katana down to his hip and hunched down on his legs in a stance that allowed him to draw it quickly. The shadows followed suit, forming a line of warriors that were ready to attack. After the shadows were ready beside him, the ninja twisted his blade and the four shadows suddenly charged at Ranma. The ninja gave the shadowy images of himself a second to move before following behind them, just as swiftly.

The shadows moved without a sound. They glided over the ground like ghosts, with trails of black mist that moved like smoke. They mimicked the ninja's stance perfectly, each holding their green katana at their hip in invisible sheaths.

Ranma had managed to get to her feet while the shadows formed their line, but Akane could tell she wasn't prepared to defend herself. Although upright, her arms were limp, and her shoulders betrayed how exhausted she was. Akane was overcome with worry as she saw the shadows reach her.

The first one reached Ranma and drew it's blade with a quick swing of its arm. Akane saw her clutched her side with her arm, but did not see any blood. She wasn't sure what had happened when the blade sliced through Ranma with a quick flash, but those thoughts were quickly dispelled when the next part happened.

Akane still did not know how to describe what she was seeing, even after watching this nightmare so many times. Instead of stopping its charge, the shadow image of the ninja continued to advance, passing through Ranma. The shadow appeared to actually enter Ranma's body, not just sweep over or past it. When it exited from her back, the shadow vanished, like evaporating steam. Akane saw Ranma slump heavily after that happened.

_Ranma… what did these things do to you? _Akane wondered. She knew what she felt happening in Ranma's chi, but could not explain how it was. It felt like its fire was being rubbed out; vanquished.

Just as the first shadow finished passing through Ranma's body, the second shadow reached her and repeated the attack. Akane saw Ranma react to this attack much like she had the first, only more dramatically. Instead of clutching her stomach and slumping as the shadow moved through her, Ranma looked like she was gut punched, and keeled over as if to throw up.

The third shadow now performed the assault on Ranma's body, cutting and entering her just as the other two had. Akane felt her heart thump in her chest as Ranma appeared to tense her entire body and cry weakly as the shadow passed through her. Her eyes were wide, and mad. Her cries were unlike any Akane had heard before.

Akane heard Ranma's cries in her head like a haunting echo. They sounded so weak and desperate, almost like she was pleading for mercy. Akane wanted so desperately to help her, but she knew she couldn't. She had been too scared then, and this nightmare was a punishing reminder of that.

Akane began to cry in her mind as the fourth shadow bore down on Ranma. It felt like each time she saw this happening she felt weaker, and more helpless than the last. _No! _She found herself pleading to the skies of her dream. _Please, no more!_

Her mental pleas went unanswered as the fourth shadow moved swiftly through Ranma. It exited and evaporated from the redhead's back like smoke off her flesh. Ranma's blue glow faded to nothing, and she dropped to her knees without another sound from her mouth. She was trembling violently as she sat there completely defenseless as the real ninja took his final steps towards her.

Akane didn't want to watch, but she had to see this part. She was determined to see what it was the ninja did to Ranma. She was sure that this attack is what put Ranma into his coma. She watched closely, keeping her mind focused, no matter how terrible it was to see this final blow again.

It happened in an instant. The ninja dashed right in front of Ranma's kneeling body and drew his katana from his hip. There was a bright flash of green that nearly blinded Akane, and in truth, it had when it happened the first time. This time, she could see it, just barely. The ninja blinked from in front of Ranma as he slashed his katana, and reappeared right behind her.

Akane replayed what she saw in her memory. The blinking she had seen already. That part was obvious. But that flash of light, she saw something very strange. In that brief instant between the ninja disappearing and reappearing, his green aura appeared to spear through Ranma. As it burst through Ranma's back, a faint blue trail followed it.

_His chi… _Akane thought, sadly, realizing that Ranma was completely robbed of his life force in that instant.

Akane suddenly was aware of her body moving, and remembered that she could not control it in this dream. She was running frantically to Ranma, who was lying on the ground.

"Ranma!" she cried.

Akane held Ranma's limp body in her hands, trying to fight back her tears. She stared desperately into her pale blue eyes, noticing that they had become like glass.

"Ranma! Oh no!" Akane cried while she shook the smaller girl gently. Ranma did not respond, and simply lay there lifelessly.

Akane continued to stare into Ranma's eyes, willing her to stay with her. Ranma appeared to be staring back up at Akane, but she couldn't tell, and her eyes were slowly beginning to close.

"Ranma, stay with me!" She kept calling out to her, but the redhead remained silent. "You can't die!"

Ranma opened her mouth ever so slightly as if to speak. She flinched in Akane's arms and let out a raspy cough. Her lips quivered as she silently whispered something.

"A… ka…" Ranma whispered. She could not finish what she was saying. Her eyes shut completely and the redhead became completely limp.

Akane could not feel Ranma's chi as she rested in her arms. She looked helplessly at her peaceful face, and felt her tears threatening to burst from her eyes. It was still too horrible for her to handle. She couldn't control herself, and completely broke down, letting her tears flood from her eyes. Ranma's peaceful face was the last thing she saw as the darkness surrounded her. It covered her and Ranma, and eventually consumed them, ending the nightmare.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Akane awoke from her restless sleep with tears running down her cheeks. _That nightmare again…_ She thought to herself. She didn't know how long she had been asleep, but the lucidity of the dream sure made it feel like forever. Despite that though, her body said otherwise, and protested with sore pain as she began to move.

Akane sat up and rubbed her eyes, which burned from the lack of any real rest. She blinked a few times, allowing them to focus before looking up at the ceiling. She began to wonder about the dream she had just had again.

It didn't surprise her really. In fact, she had been expecting it, along with the lucidity she possessed during it. The first time, she barely really remembered it clearly, but she couldn't deny the upset state she was in when she woke up. Since that first time, every time she slept she had the same nightmare replaying the end of the fight. Eventually, she did begin to have some kind of mental awareness, and that was when she decided to focus on the last attack.

_That man… _she thought while remembering what she had seen. _His aura. It… took Ranma's chi from his body._

Akane recalled the thin blue strand of light she saw being ripped from Ranma's body and felt fresh tears began to well in her eyes. She really did feel like she had lost Ranma forever when he eyes shut, and she suddenly remembered when their places had been switched around.

Akane gazed at Ranma's peaceful face and felt her heart break a little.

_I wanted to tell you then, just you had to me, _she thought. _But I couldn't._

Akane's eyes began to leak tears, but she fought to keep them under control. She had already cried so much, and she felt emotionally drained.

_Why couldn't I tell you?_

Akane lost herself at that thought and began to cry freely, holding her face in her hands.

Ranma stirred slightly, although Akane did not notice as she cried. The act of holding her head in her hands had taken her hand from Ranma's, and the smallest spike in brain activity occurred.

"Maybe I really am just a nuisance to you," she said between sobs. "I could do nothing to help you, and now… it's all my fault."

Akane looked down at Ranma's sleeping face, wishing she would just wake up. She placed her hand on Ranma's cheek and stroked it gently, feeling its warmth.

Ranma did not respond to Akane's touch, but the equipment next to her bed began to beep faster. Akane looked over to see that Ranma's heartbeat had increased a few beats a minute and her brain activity had changed. She did not understand what the changes meant really, but it caused herself to jumpstart.

She quickly looked back at Ranma's unchanged face and stroked her cheek again.

"Oh, Ranma," she said sadly, "You're in there, somewhere, aren't you?"

Ranma did not respond.

Akane had to fight back her tears again. She was always teetering on the edge these days. She moved her hand from Ranma's cheek and grasped her frail hand again, feeling its cold fingertips in contrast to her warm face. She could have sworn she felt Ranma's hand twitch, but when she looked back at her face, it hadn't changed.

"Can't you hear me!?" she cried, sobbing again.

The door behind Akane suddenly opened quietly, allowing a beam of light to cast over the pair of teenagers. A woman's shadow appeared in that beam of light briefly before the door shut, returning the room to near complete darkness.

"Akane?" Kasumi asked. She had a worried look on her face that Akane did not see, for she hadn't turned to acknowledge her sister's appearance. "Are you alright? I could hear you crying from the hall."

Akane did not turn around or answer her sister. While she had been rather open to herself and Ranma's unconscious body, she wasn't willing to discuss her feelings to anyone else, not even Kasumi. She wouldn't break down in front of anyone. She had to be strong, like her father told her.

Kasumi waited for her younger sister to answer her, but was given nothing but the cold shoulder and her backside. She knew Akane was taking this situation very hard, and didn't want to force anymore pressure on her, but she also didn't want Akane to face it alone. She knew Akane was strong, but could also use a shoulder to cry on at times. She set the basket down on the table beside the door and pulled a seat next to Akane's.

Akane turned slightly in her seat to avoid Kasumi's gaze, and now was looking towards the wall, thought her hand didn't leave Ranma's.

Kasumi was a little taken aback by Akane's refusal to even look at her. She knew her youngest sister could be stubborn, especially when it came to her feelings, but she had also always been the one she would confide in. Being shut out too was like getting burned.

"Akane," Kasumi said, more sternly this time. She placed her hand on Akane's shoulder, and could literally feel the cold vibes, but ignored them. She gently squeezed it before continuing. "You don't have to say anything," she explained, "but don't forget that you're not alone. We're all worried about Ranma."

At hearing her sister's motherly tone, Akane couldn't help herself any longer. She let go of Ranma's hand and spun around in her seat before collapsing in Kasumi's arms, crying. She hugged her older sister tightly, feeling she needed something to hold onto; something she could depend on for support.

"He won't wake up," she exclaimed, sobbing into her sister's shoulder.

Kasumi returned the embrace, although not as tightly. She wrapped her arms around Akane gently and rubbed her back slowly, attempting to south the younger girl.

"Its okay, Akane," she said. "Dr. Tofu and the other doctors all said Ranma would recover in time. We just have to be patient."

"They weren't there!" Akane protested. She pushed herself away from her sister and shut her eyes tightly, trying to stop her tears. "They didn't see or feel what I did," she added, her voice trembling.

Kasumi looked at Akane cautiously. She could sense that Akane needed to let some things off her chest, but wasn't quite sure how to approach her. She decided on her usual motherly approach, and gave Akane a small, but warm smile.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," she said. She held Akane by the shoulders and handed her a piece of tissue from the small nightstand beside them. "Ranma is a strong young man," she added."

Akane took the tissue she was offered and wipe her eyes. She still sniffled through her nose, but her tears had stopped running, for now.

"I know he is," she said sadly. "That's why I'm afraid he'll face that man again." Akane's speech was becoming unsteady again as she thought about what she was saying. She knew Ranma had an abundance of pride to a fault. He never backed down from a challenge, and while that was endearing, it was also terrifying for her. She really couldn't stand the situations Ranma got himself into sometimes. She wondered if he was even aware of how much he made her worry about him.

Kasumi could feel Akane trembling slightly now, and pulled her into a supportive hug. She rubbed her back gently again and spoke soothingly into her ear.

"It's okay to be afraid, Akane," she said. "I'm here for you, and so is everyone else. No one has to face this alone."

"But Ranma insists that he does!" Akane shouted from Kasumi's shoulder. "It always has to be his fight. He always has to fight alone!" Akane took a moment to steady herself as her throat quivered. She was losing control over her emotions again. "The worst part is he did fight alone. I was too scared to help! Ranma was right; I am just in the way!"

"There, there," Kasumi said, attempting to stifle Akane's sobs. She had to admit, Ranma did always insist on fighting alone. She knew Akane always took it as him saying she would only get in his way, but she knew better. Anyone watching them would be able to tell.

"Ranma doesn't think you're a nuisance," she continued. "After all, would he think you were in the way if he didn't care about you?"

Akane had a confused look on her face when she pushed back from Kasumi's shoulder and stared at her sister. She was bewildered by what she had said, and didn't know how to respond.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Her voice was completely steady now, the shock having wiped away her tears for the moment, and there was the slightest shade of pink on her cheeks.

Kasumi smiled more brightly when she saw the tiny blush on Akane's face. She felt she was onto something.

"There's no need to be bashful about it, Akane," Kasumi said, nearly giggling. "I know you and Ranma don't always get along," she pointed out.

"More like never," Akane said reflexively. Her eyebrow was twitching as she recalled the way Ranma usually was to her.

"And I know he can sometimes say mean things to you," she added non-chalantly.

"You mean every time he has a chance," Akane corrected. Her blush was either deepening now or she was turning red from anger at some choice memories. "That insensitive jerk!"

"Akane, let me finish," Kasumi said, rather curtly. Her smile had vanished, and her eyes had a commanding look; one only a mother could give.

Akane blinked at the sudden command from her sister and realized she had been speaking without thinking. Her face drained of most of its color, but the slight blush remained behind.

Kasumi waited a moment to allow Akane to settle down and then returned her usual smile.

"Now, where was I?" Kasumi asked while thinking to herself. "Ah, of course. I was just saying that even though Ranma might say you're in his way, it's only because he cares."

Akane felt her brain stop working when Kasumi finished. _She thinks that Ranma said those things because he cares?_ Akane thought to herself. _That's just insane._

"You're joking, right? Akane asked, finally.

"I wouldn't joke about something like this," Kasumi answered.

Akane thought about it a little, and had to admit, that despite the times Ranma did say she would get in the way, he did probably have her best interest in mind. And besides, didn't she already know how he felt, even if he had gone back into his shell since then? Still, there were times she had come to doubt what she heard. Ranma, after all, claimed to have no memory of it, and there was always the chance his feelings had changed.

"Do you really think so?" Akane asked. She couldn't hide the hope in her voice.

Kasumi nodded and beamed an even brighter smile. She could feel the room warming slightly from its gloomy mood. "I'm sure of it," she said cheerfully.

Akane returned Kasumi's smile. She couldn't help but feel warm at hearing Kasumi's words, and she was usually right about these sorts of things. Dr. Tofu was the only person Kasumi couldn't read.

Kasumi saw Akane's smile and hugged her again, this time feeling the embrace returned in kind. The two sisters shared this warm moment, not noticing the tear that slowly ran down Ranma's cheek.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ranma began to choke as her lungs filled with water. She broke the surface of the water and coughed violently, clearing her lungs of the cold liquid while gasping for air.

_Not again!_ Ranma thought as he recognized the fountain his female body was in. _Why is this happening to me? _He wondered while she climbed out. _Why can't I wake up?_

"You!" a man said, sounding like he was accusing the redhead of something.

Ranma knew who it was, but found her eyes wandering up to look at the ninja anyways.

_Ku…_ Ranma thought the word with anger. He didn't know why, but he had come to think of that word as his name.

"You dare interfere again!?" Ku asked, glaring down at her.

Ranma didn't answer, even though he wanted to. He knew this was just a dream, but it didn't make it any easier to stomach. He just wished he new why he couldn't wake up from it. He wanted nothing more than to pound Ku into oblivion. This was, after all, his own dream, wasn't it? Why was it he couldn't alter the outcome in his own mind?

"I'll never give up," he heard his female voice say. Ranma suddenly felt a familiar fire burn through him, but could tell it was weak.

Ku grunted at Ranma's continued defiance and bent down on one knee and put his hand on Ranma's head. He glared into her defiant eyes and then suddenly fisted her hair and lifted her off the ground.

"I'll teach you to interfere again," he said grimly.

Ranma groaned as she was lifted by her hair. Her body was completely limp as it hung over the ground.

_Damn, _Ranma thought, _even in my dreams, I can feel how weak I am._

Ranma was struggling to try to will his female body to move, but no matter how he tried, it did not deviate from what really happened. He shouldn't have been surprised, but still was shocked when he heard Akane's voice.

"No!" she cried.

Unnoticed to the pair of fighters, Akane had recovered from her dread, and had run to them. She grabbed onto the ninja's arm that held Ranma and began to pull on it roughly to try to free the girl.

"Let her go!" she demanded.

_Akane! _Ranma felt something within him stir when he saw her panicked face. _I didn't even stop to think how this must have affected you… All I could think about was how much I didn't want you to see me like this…_

The ninja watched Akane struggle feebly with his arm for a moment before throwing her to the ground. He glared down at her while and spoke before she could get up.

"Stay down!" he ordered. He turned back to look at Ranma, who was dangling from his hand, nearly unconscious. "It won't do me any good to have both of his women dead!"

_My woman!? _Ranma felt strange hearing that. It wasn't the first time he had heard something like that, so why did he take it so differently now? When Pantyhose Taro had said it, he simply rolled with the punches and attacked. Why was it that hearing it this time pissed him off? Was it because it accused him of being a womanizer?

_Like I don't have enough people accusing me of that crap?_

"Now you wait just one minute!" Akane shouted. She sounded really angry.

… _Is it so bad to her that she be considered my woman!? _Ranma wondered, a little hurt at the thought.

Ranma was jerked out of his thoughts when he felt his body touch the ground and cringed.

_This is the worst part…_

Just like before, the ninja conjured four shadow images of himself. Unlike the time Ranma used shadow training, these four images of the ninja were not solid. They were made of the black misty aura, appearing like ghosts.

_I didn't realize it at the time, because I was so weak, but those shadows are nearly perfect images of him._

Ranma saw the ninja initiate the attack, and the four shadows charged at him, just like before. He wanted to brace himself for the coming pain, but his body did not respond. It just stood there, nearly completely limp.

_Damnit! MOVE! _Ranma demanded in his mind. No matter how hard he tried however, his female body just stood there lifelessly.

The shadows all charged onto Ranma, attacking him one after another. He could feel the searing pain of each blade cutting into him just like it had felt what seemed like an eternity ago.

The first blade was so cold that it felt like it burned through his chi. That moment of extreme pain was followed by a suffocating numbness that made him feel drained and heavy. He could see it happening clearly now, unlike when it had happened to him the first time. The black aura that made the shadow images of Ku were entering his body, filling it with their numbness.

Even in this twisted nightmare, Ranma felt like he was being suffocated. Despite having no physical self, he felt unimaginable pain followed by the heavy numbness. Each shadow left Ranma feeling weaker and weaker, until finally, the fourth one dropped him to his knees. The world around him began to blur as he stared blankly at his pale, girl form hands.

_Why?_ That is what Ranma had thought back then, and it was what he was thinking now. This thought was cut abruptly short when Ku himself attacked Ranma.

Just like before, Ranma saw the flash of light flood his eyes, and then a strange sensation he still could not quite describe. He wasn't sure what, but it felt like something irreplaceable had been taken from within his body. What was left of him felt hollow.

_Why is this happening to me? _Ranma wondered as he saw the dark sky above him.

"Ranma!" he heard someone, Akane, cry. The scream sounded so distant to him, like a fading memory.

_Akane… how long has it been since I last heard you? _Ranma wondered. _How long ago did you cry my name?_

Ranma had no idea how much time had progressed since he passed out from the battle. His only indication was the number of times he had to witness the nightmare over and over, but he had lost count some time ago. His defiance was running dry, and he could feel his mind going numb from the pain and despair.

_How much longer must this go on?_ Ranma asked the darkness that swept over him. He could just barely make out the blurry image of Akane's face above him, staring back at him, with what emotion, he did not know. He could see the image shaking, but could not feel his body moving.

"A…" Ranma heard his girl voice speak weakly. He too wanted to speak to her; to reach her. He tried desperately to reach out with his own hand, but it only served to cause a ripple in the dream's image.

_No… Akane! _Ranma found himself screaming.

"Ka…" his girl voice tried to, but could not finish her name, and darkness completely surrounded him. Ranma tried to break free from the black abyss, but could not, no matter how hard he tried. Just like the shadowy aura of Ku, it suffocated him like an ocean. Ranma felt weak, and eventually surrendered, allowing the darkness to carry him away.

_Akane… _Ranma thought t himself sadly. _When will this end? _Ranma closed his eyes and felt a tear welling in his right. While he would normally never be caught crying as a man, he knew such efforts were worthless here. Ranma let the tear go, its cold trail on his cheek the only thing he felt as his world turned to black.

* * *

**Author's notes:** Sorry for the wait for this chapter. I tried to finish it before the 4th, but couldn't pull that off, because I suddenly found the chapter a complete bomb and started over. I'm still not completely satisfied, but believe this version is much better than the original. I hope you all enjoy it, and don't find it confusing. The Ranma part felt a bit muddy, but I figure Ranma would always think of himself as a man, even in his dreams of his girl form.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	7. Devotion

Cologne busied herself in her room, sifting through countless books and scrolls and personal notes she had accumulated over her three hundred years of life. Akane's description of what had happened to Ranma, along with what she sensed in the unconscious boy, troubled her.

She was no stranger to chis being drained, but this was something far more sinister. It sounded more like Ranma had his chi burned, rather than consumed, which was something she'd never heard of before. Looking through her literature on chis only confirmed that.

"Hmm..." Cologne thought about her future son-in-law's predicament.

"His condition can't be solved by simple time and mediation," she thought out loud. "Although..."

An idea suddenly popped into the elder's head, and she hopped down from her table. She quickly made her way to her potion rack, and pulled out the massive book of potion recipes. She desperately flipped through the pages, looking for the potion she had thought of, hoping it worked the way she wanted it to.

"Ah ha!" she remarked, having found the page.

"Great Grandmother? What you doing?" Shampoo asked from outside the door.

"Ah, nothing dear," she called back a little nervously. She didn't want to get Shampoo excited over something before she was sure how it worked. She only knew all too well how Shampoo could screw up even the simplest potions when her mind was on Ranma.

"Why don't you go ahead and start getting the place ready to open, dear?" she suggested. "I'll be done shortly."

"Ok, great grandmother," Shampoo called back.

Cologne waited while Shampoo's footsteps retreated down the stairs and then looked back down at the page. The potion would take half the day to make, and wouldn't work on its own. She would need to be very careful with this one.

* * *

**Ranma ½: The Immortal Battle**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter VII: Devotion**

* * *

Akane groaned and stretched as she woke up from another nightmare. She didn't feel rested at all, but had no desire to go back to sleep, and forced herself up from leaning on Ranma's bedside. She glanced over at Ranma hopefully, but frowned when she was greeted by the exact same image she had fallen asleep to.

Ranma was still asleep in her coma, the instruments she was connected to beeping steadily. The same emotionless face.

Akane wiped away the tears lining her eyes and got to her feet. This was now the third day, and there was still no change at all. Ever so slightly, she was feeling her hope begin to waver.

_How much longer is this going to take? _she wondered. _Ranma's never been out this long before._

A knock at the door caught Akane's attention. She didn't turn towards the door, but said "come in."

A nurse walked in quietly and closed the door behind her.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," she said sweetly. "I just need to check up on her readings real quick."

Akane nodded and stepped back to give the nurse some room to work. She watched with her head turned down as the nurse checked the various machines and scribbled notes on her clipboard.

"All done," she said.

The nurse stood up and turned to give Akane a supportive smile. She looked to be pretty young, maybe her early twenties. Her shoulder length golden brown hair framed her face nicely and curled just bit upwards at its tips, giving it volume.

"Everything's going to be okay," she said.

"You really think so?" Akane asked.

"I know so," the nurse said.

The nurse put her hand on Akane's shoulder and squeezed it gently before giving an even bigger smiled. Akane could see the sincerity in her face, and her honest belief that everything would work out. She found this feeling spreading into her, and perked up slightly.

"Thanks," she said.

"Of course," she said and walked past Akane. "Let me know if you need anything."

Akane watched the nurse leave and then returned her attention to Ranma. She found herself feeling ashamed at actually letting her hope slip while that nurse had remained so spirited.

_I won't give up on you, ever._

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Cologne was perched at her usual spot in the kitchen of her restaurant. She was cooking the orders as quickly as she could, using her kachu tenchi amaguriken training to her advantage. Usually she refrained from such practices, since it resulted in proportions being slightly off, but she needed the extra time between orders to overlook her potion brewing.

She had followed the recipe very closely, measuring everything to the drop, and adding them exactly as described. To her relief, the color changed as it should have, and it would be ready within the hour, just as the dinner rush ended, hopefully.

"What that?" Shampoo asked from the door to the kitchen.

"Just something for my old bones," she lied.

"What you mean? Great grandmother still strong!"

"And just how do you think I've kept up all these years, mmm?" she asked and squinted at her great grand-daughter.

"Aiya! you mean you been taking medicine?" Shampoo asked, shocked.

Cologne gave out a hearty laugh, and acted like she had been caught. "Even someone as old as me still has her pride in her body," she chuckled.

"Yeah, wouldn't want anyone to see what you look like with the mask off," Mousse mumbled from where he was washing the dishes.

Cologne twirled her staff and gave Mousse a mighty whack to the side of the head. She wanted to clock him right down on his dumb noggin, but didn't want to lose any dishes for the small pleasure.

"Anyways, dear, don't you worry," Cologne said while twirling her staff back to her. "It'll be another two hundred years before you have to worry about taking anything like this."

"Okay!" Shampoo said brightly.

Shampoo took her dishes over to Mousse and dumped them with an innocent hum. The force of the plates splashing into the sink drenched Mousse, leaving him a quacking mess while Shampoo hopped back safely. With a unconcerned giggle, Shampoo spun around and left with her next order.

Cologne watched the exchange with mild amusement. Such things happened so often, it really was starting to get sad. After the first hundred times, she just couldn't help, but start feeling a little sad for the helpless lout.

She watched Mousse quacking angrily for a second before returning to her cooking duties. While she cooked, she continued to contemplate how to best proceed once the potion was complete. She could handle the delivering the treatment herself, and wouldn't have trusted anyone else anyways. It was the matter of finding a second that troubled her.

Naturally, Shampoo would have volunteered, but there were outside risks involved. Once she explained things to Shampoo, Cologne was sure that she'd understand why she decided to overlook her.

"I don't bear ill will towards the poor girl," Cologne said to herself while she stirred a pot of soup, "but if someone's going to suffer, it won't be Shampoo."

Mousse had been so absorbed in his quacking, he didn't even hear Cologne scheming right next to him.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Akane was busy reading the notes Nabiki had dropped off for her when Kasumi arrived that evening. She gave her usual cheery hello and lifted a large bento.

"I thought you might be hungry," she said.

"Thanks, Kasumi," Akane said and took the bento. "I haven't even left this room to try the hospital's food."

"Oh, how sweet of you," Kasumi smiled.

Akane caught her sister's meaning, but made no effort to deny it. She just didn't see a point in it right now. Even if she were in the mood, she couldn't bring herself to yell at her eldest sister most of the time.

Kasumi watched her sister eat slowly and smiled. She noticed Akane was doing a lot better today, which made her feel a lot better. Having Ranma in such bad shape was bad enough. If both of them were in trouble, she feared their fathers would completely fall apart.

"So, how are you feeling, Akane?" she asked.

Akane put down her chopsticks and thought about how she was feeling. She was exhausted from not getting any solid sleep. She was being crushed by her immense guilt over Ranma being in the hospital. Despite all that, though, she still felt like her hope had been rejuvenated by the nurse in the morning.

"Okay, I guess," she answered.

"That's good," Kasumi said with a sweet smile.

"How's everyone else doing?"

"They're all holding up well," Kasumi answered, but her smile lost some of its brightness. "They all wanted to come, but I convinced them to give you your space. I know how worked up you get when there's so much going on."

"Thanks, Kasumi," Akane said and returned an earnest smile.

"Knock knock," Cologne said from the open door.

"Oh look, it's Shampoo's great grandmother," Kasumi said. "What brings you here?"

"What indeed?" Akane asked, her tone a little suspicious.

"I just came to see if there's been any change in son-in-law's condition," she said.

"I'm afraid not," Akane said sadly.

"Well, I'll have a look for myself," Cologne said while hopping onto the foot of Ranma's bed with her staff.

Cologne peered down on Ranma's unconscious body and reached out with her martial arts training. She used her trained senses to feel for any sign of Ranma's chi. A cold void is what met her as she reached into Ranma's body with her sixth sense, but deep down, in the redhead's heart, she felt the faintest speck.

"Mmm..." she mumbled and withdrew herself from Ranma's presence.

"Oh my, you sound like you saw something," Kasumi said.

"Yes, dear, I did," Cologne admitted.

"You did?" Akane said, now sounding hopeful.

"It wasn't much, but it was definitely there," she said and pointed down at the girl's chest. "Always count on son-in-law to be a fighter."

"Does that mean he's going to be okay?" Akane asked, sounding more hopeful than before.

Cologne closed her eyes and shook her head. "It's still too early to say for sure, I'm afraid."

Akane dropped her head and frowned. "Oh..."

Kasumi saw the hope face from her sister's face and felt her heart nearly break. She placed her hand on her shoulder and gave it a loving squeeze.

"Don't worry, Akane. Ranma will make it," she said.

"Speaking of which, I'd like to have a word with you, Akane," Cologne said.

The two Tendo sisters looked up at the elder Amazon with questioning eyes. Akane was wondering why she took on such a serious tone.

"If you don't mind, Kasumi," she added to the elder sister.

"Oh, of course," Kasumi bowed and left the room.

Cologne waited for the door to be closed and looked down at Akane Tendo. She found herself in an interesting situation. While she had nothing personal against the girl, her tribe's laws effectively made her an enemy. The laws also dictated that she could not directly solve Shampoo's problems for her, however, so she had no real reason to hate any of Ranma's other fiancés, and didn't. She was just there to provide support.

"Tell me, something dear. Do you want Ranma to wake up?" she asked bluntly.

"What? Of course I do!" Akane answered a little hotly. She was insulted that even Cologne could think she was that uncaring.

"Care to tell me why?"

"That's none of your business!" Akane replied and crossed her arms.

"Perhaps not, but I need to know," Cologne said without missing a beat.

"And why exactly do you need to know?" Akane asked. "What's it to you?"

"It's nothing to me," Cologne admitted. "But I need to make sure you're the right person for what I'm trying to do."

"And what are you trying to do, huh?"

Cologne rubbed her forehead. She always knew Akane was a stubborn one, but she didn't think it'd be this irritating.

"Listen, my dear. You have no reason to be so embarrassed with me. I'm far too old to be worried about young gossip."

Akane didn't say anything, but nodded and fought to get herself under control.

"That's better," Cologne said with an appreciative nod. "Now, give it to me straight. Do you care for him?"

Akane tensed at the question. Every fiber of her being wanted to scream no out of habit, but she forced herself to speak honestly.

"I little," she managed through clenched teeth.

Cologne sighed and rubbed her forehead again. She was old, but she wasn't blind or senile. She could see Akane cared for Ranma in a special way. Anyone that witnessed them regularly did, unless they were stupid. That wasn't enough, however. If Akane couldn't admit it to herself, there was no hope that things would work.

"I think I've made a mistake. I'll be going now," she said and hopped off the bed.

"No, wait!" Akane said desperately.

Cologne stopped at the door and looked back at the girl pleading for her to stay. She saw that look in Akane's eyes, the look that said she'd do anything, even if she wasn't willing to admit it. It was unlike the look her great granddaughter had when it came to Ranma. That was more determination to uphold law and honored tradition than true devotion.

"Well?" she asked.

Akane gulped down the lump in her throat and nodded.

"I really care about him," she finally admitted.

"Well, it's a start," Cologne said and chuckled.

Cologne hopped back onto the bed in front of where Akane was sitting and pulled out a small bottle from her robe.

"What's that?" Akane asked as she stared at the bottle of red liquid.

"This is a very special potion," Cologne said and set the bottle down.

"Will it help Ranma?"

Cologne shook her head. "It can only help, if you can."

"What do you mean?"

"There's plenty of potions that can help with healing, and recovering one's chi," Cologne explained. "Ranma's wounds are not that simple, however. He should, by all accounts, be dead."

Akane felt her chest lock up and ache at Cologne's words. Her serious tone left no room for interpretation.

"But son-in-law is a fighter, and has managed to hang on," Cologne added. She pointed down at the bottle. "This potion is meant to bring someone back from the very brink of death."

"Oh, so it will save Ranma!" Akane said with a now brightened face.

"Let me finish, dear," Cologne said sternly.

Akane sat back and nodded.

"This potion _will_ bring a person back from the brink of death, but only if there's another person pulling them back."

"I don't understand."

"Listen very closely, Akane. This potion is consumed by both the person being healed, and a healer. If the healer is truly devoted, their chi will freely pass on from them to the person in need, and fill them."

"I see, so it's like donating blood, or an artery," Akane deduced.

"In a manner of speaking, but there are serious risks involved," Cologne warned.

"What kind of risks?"

"If the person doing the healing is not absolutely devoted, should there be _any_ doubt, Ranma will die," Cologne said with as much seriousness as she could put into the words. "We won't get a second chance at this."

"Ranma will die?" Akane felt her heart sink again. She didn't know if it was right for her to gamble with his life like that. After all, there was still hope that he was going to recover on his own.

"There's one other thing to consider. You will be filling Ranma with your very life force to replace what he's lost. I'm afraid that even if it's a success, you will both be living half a lifespan."

Akane nearly choked at that detail. Now she had to think about whether or not she was willing to give up half of her life for Ranma. Strangely, she didn't struggle with that thought for long. Her only fear was how Ranma would react to her making that kind of sacrifice.

"I want you to think very carefully about this, Akane Tendo," Cologne said, adding the last name to show how much respect she had for her at this given time. "I know this is asking a lot of you."

Akane thought about it quietly. She was okay with living only half as long. She was sure of that. Living half a happy life was better than living a full, lonely life, right? On the other hand, it was silly for her to think she wouldn't meet someone down the road. She wasn't a bad catch.

Akane shook her head. She couldn't afford to think about that, because it meant there were doubts about Ranma. She had to figure out if she really was as devoted as Cologne seemed to think. Given their histories, she wondered why Cologne had even come to her at all. It implied a lot of things to the contrary of what she showed at any given time.

"Why me?" she asked.

"What's that, my dear?"

"Why not shampoo?"

Cologne figured Akane would ask that, and there was no way to get past the question except to be honest. Besides, if she couldn't be honest about why she was coming to Akane, how could she expect the girl to be any more honest?

"I can't trust Shampoo with something like this," she admitted.

"Why? Because you don't think she'd want to live half a life?" Akane figured that had to be it. It would also be hard for a person to conduct a ritual that cut their descendant's life in half.

"Oh, she'd accept a half life to satisfy her honor," Cologne said. "But honor is all it would be. She is devoted to our laws on pain of death, which isn't the same."

Akane let that process in her brain. Cologne had just claimed Shampoo wasn't as in love with Ranma as she seemed. At least, that's what Akane thought that meant. She couldn't believe this was happening.

"Are you sure about this?" Akane asked.

Cologne gave Akane a piercing gaze. Her uncertainty was troubling. If Akane was so unsure about this, Cologne wasn't sure if she wanted to try. But, if not Akane, then who else? She had very serious doubts that Shampoo's honor driven affection for Ranma would be strong enough.

"I am sure if anyone can do it, it's you," she said.

Akane felt Cologne's words fill her with energy. A lot of things could be said about the old woman, but she was as honorable as they came. She couldn't think of any time that she had outright lied. Maybe stretched things, but never lie.

"Still, I should probably see how everyone else feels about this," she found herself saying. She thought it was only right that at least Ranma's parents have a say in it.

"I'm afraid that's a bad idea," Cologne said. "There's reasons I wanted to speak to you privately about this. Involving more people only means the burden is that much greater. You need to set all of that aside if you choose to do this."

"I understand," Akane said. She completely understood Cologne's insistence on focus.

"I also felt it would be easier for you afterwards if no one else knew," Cologne added. "It'll be up to you if you want to keep your feelings a secret, and the price you paid."

Akane nodded. As hard as it would be to tell Ranma about that price, telling everyone else would be even tougher for the both of them. She was sure that once their parents found, it was all over. Married. Done.

Cologne observed Akane as she thought things through once more. She could still see lingering doubts appear in her eyes every now and then, but they weren't strong. She was starting to feel a little confident.

"Um, excuse me," Kasumi suddenly said, shocking them both.

Akane spun to look at her sister standing in the doorway while Cologne's eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"I'm sorry, I was concerned when I heard Akane yelling and well... I heard everything after that," Kasumi admitted bashfully.

"K-Kasumi..." Akane said nervously. She couldn't believe she had overheard. She knew what was going on, how she felt, and what stakes she was going to gamble with.

Cologne was sure her plan was completely shot now. Akane was literally in shock.

"Akane," Kasumi said as she regained her usual motherly quality.

The elder Tendo sister walked over and put her hands on Akane's shoulders. She looked her in the eyes and gave her the warmest smile she ever had.

"I know you will do it," she said.

Akane heard the words and her whole body felt warm. Kasumi didn't say she "can" do it. She said she "will" do it. Kasumi's faith fueled her own, and she clenched her hand into a fist.

"I'll do it!" she said confidently.

Cologne saw the determination in Akane's eyes and smiled. _Yes, she is ready,_ she thought happily. She took the bottle and hopped down so she could pull out two tea cups from her robe.

"Akane, why don't you push that other bed over next to Ranma's while I set up," she said.

Akane got up and pushed the empty bed next to Ranma's so that they were almost touching. While she had been exhausted just moments ago, she felt no fatigue at all as she moved on her force of will alone.

"Kasumi, could you fetch me some hot water for some tea, please?"

"Of course," Kasumi said. She left the room and returned a couple minutes later with a large cup of hot water.

"Thank you, dear," Cologne said as she accepted the cup. She put some tea leaves into the two tea cups followed by the hot water. After letting the leaves steep for a moment, she then poured half of the potion into each cup and swirled them gently.

"What's the tea for?" Akane asked.

"I won't lie. This is going to taste pretty bad," Cologne said.

"That's fine with me," Akane said.

"Alright, now lay down in the bed next to Ranma and take his hand," Cologne ordered.

Akane did as she was told and exhaled slowly. She felt like she was about to fight for her life, and in a way, she was.

Cologne hopped down from the table with one of the tea cups and then very carefully handed it to Akane. Once Akane had the cup in her hand, Cologne hopped up onto the beds and stood between the two girls' heads.

"I'm glad you here, Kasumi," Cologne said. "I forgot this is much easier with a fourth. Could sit by Ranma with the other cup please?"

"Of course," Kasumi said and retrieved the cup.

Cologne fished out one last piece of equipment from her robe and handed it to Kasumi.

"Place this down Ranma's throat, dear," she said bluntly.

Kasumi took the item from Cologne. It was a funnel with a long tube attached to it. She didn't have to ask, as it was obviously needed in order to get the tea into Ranma. She nodded her understanding, and gently pushed the tube down Ranma's mouth.

"Okay, now, this is how it's going to work," Cologne said and waited for both sisters to look at her. "Akane, your hand linked with Ranma is going to act as the bridge, but the body naturally acts as dam for your chi. I will be using pressure points to open those dams. When I nod, drink the cup of tea in one gulp and you serve Ranma his. Be sure to remove the tube afterwards, as we don't want him choking once he wakes up."

Kasumi and Akane both nodded and Cologne rubbed her hands together. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. With quick strikes of her arms, she poked several spots along the two girls' chest, then shoulders, and finally their necks. As she struck the last pressure point, she nodded, and Akane drank the tea while Kasumi fed hers to Ranma.

Immediately, Akane fell unconscious.

"It's in your hands now, Akane Tendo," Cologne said.

"Um, you never said she'd be unconscious," Kasumi pointed out.

"Hmm?" Cologne looked over to Kasumi and suddenly felt embarrassed. "I didn't? Well, all the same, it's in her hands now."

Kasumi gently removed the tube from Ranma's mouth and nodded to the elder. She rested her hands in her lap and watched her sister.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Akane felt so strange. The tea had indeed tasted absolutely horrible, thanks to the potion, but it only lasted a second before she felt like her head had been hit by a truck. Then, she felt like she was falling, and a second later she felt completely weightless. Is that what it felt like to die?

Akane shook her head violently. "Can't think about that right now," she said.

Akane took a look around. She was surrounded by complete darkness, except for a sphere of blue light overhead. "I wonder what that is," Akane said in wonder. The sphere was quite large, nearly as big as her room was, compared to how large she was right now.

Looking away from the blue sphere, Akane saw Ranma laying next to her, in his male form. He was perfectly still, with his eyes closed, just like back in the hospital. They were laying next to each other with their hands linked, on what appeared to be water. She looked down at the ripples illuminated by the blue sphere above them, wondering what it represented.

Akane felt Ranma's ice cold hand in her own. Was this the mental representation of their chi? Akane wondered. What exactly was she supposed to do now? Akane sighed. She was completely lost. She looked over at Ranma again, wondering desperately what she had to do.

"If you are completely devoted, your chi will pass on to him" is what Cologne had said.

Akane looked at her hand holding Ranma's, but felt nothing passing through her. His hand remained cold to her touch and completely limp.

"Oh, Ranma, what now?" Akane asked, but got no answer. She slowly got to her feet and decided to try something. "Cologne did say a person had to pull him back from the brink of death," she said and began to pull on Ranma's hand.

To Akane's dismay, Ranma's body was like stone. It didn't even flinch, let alone move, when she tugged on his hand. She grabbed his hand with her other to increase her grip and pushed with both of her heels, but still nothing.

"Come on... move!" Akane grunted.

After another minute with no progress, Akane dropped down to her knees panting.

"Nothing!" Akane groaned. "He didn't move an inch!" She stared at Ranma desperately and then upwards to the blue sphere. "What am I supposed to do!" she yelled, expecting an answer to come from the light.

In answer, the light dimmed ever so slightly, making Akane's heart jump. _No, no, no, no, no! _she screamed in her mind. She didn't like that the light was dimming, because she was sure it was important for whatever thread Ranma was hanging on by. By reflex, she tried pulling on Ranma again, but still couldn't move him. "Argh! Why isn't this working!"

Akane stopped what she was doing and looked at their joined hands. She wondered if she had to keep holding it in this dream state. She decided there was no way she was going to risk it, but found their position uncomfortable. Moving over, she slowly turned her hand in his until their fingers were entwined, and straddled his waist.

Akane couldn't help but blush at the position they were now in, even if was only in their minds. She was straddling his waist with her left hand entwined with his right. It was like something out of a romance novel.

Sighing, Akane felt Ranma's cheek with her free hand. It was scary to feel him so cold. The lack of life in his face was so unlike him. Even in his sleep, Akane thought that Ranma looked content, rife with life. It was something she had come to admire about him. She wanted to see him like that again.

Akane looked up at the blue sphere to see it dimming again. It's light, which had once burned brightly like the sun now looked like it was covered in a shroud of fog. She was starting to feel defeated, and slumped down to look at Ranma.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Ranma," she said sadly. "I thought this would be easy, but nothing's happening. What's worse, you'll die if I fail. It'll be all my fault."

Akane tightened her left hand around Ranma's and began to sob softly. No one could see this, not even Ranma. She could let it all out right here, with no fear of any consequences, good or bad.

"Maybe it's selfish, but I can't let you go," she said through her sobs. "Even if you hate me for paying such a high price, I just want you back. If you come back, I'll say all the things I should have said. I won't hide anymore. I won't run away, or anything. Please, just come back to me, and I'll forget all of the pain. I just want another chance."

Ranma remained cold and still, despite Akane's desperate pleas. The light above them continued to dim and Akane began to cry. "Please come back!" she shouted. "Please... I... love you."

As Akane spoke the last word, her body began to glow a golden light. She felt an intense warmth filling her hand and watched as her glow slowly spread to Ranma.

"This is..." Akane couldn't finish as she witnessed the glow completely surround Ranma, and felt his hand gently squeeze hers. His hand began to feel warm, and Akane felt herself overflowing with joy. The golden light that now covered them reached upward and joined the dim blue light. It coated the sphere and turned the darkness into blinding light.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Akane woke up first, feeling like she had just been through the most intense training session of her life. Her whole body was sore, and she could barely move as she struggled to look over at Ranma.

"Oh my, Akane's awake," Kasumi said.

"Welcome back, Akane Tendo," Cologne said. "You look rather weak, which means..." she looked over at the redhead expectantly.

Ranma gasped and opened her eyes slowly. She blinked several times and everyone watched in complete silence. When her vision finally focused, she discovered she was looking up into Kasumi's happy eyes.

"Kasumi," Ranma said weakly. "Didn't expect to see you first."

Kasumi giggled. "Akane's right next to you," she said happily.

Ranma looked over and saw Akane looking back from a hospital bed. She felt something warm squeeze her hand and looked down to see that Akane was holding hers.

"What happened?" Ranma asked. "The last thing I remember is that guy's ice cold aura cutting through me, but now... I'm so warm."

Akane and Kasumi both blushed for different reasons, although Ranma saw neither. Akane knew why he felt unusually warm, as did Kasumi.

Cologne chuckled. "Well, sonny boy, don't you worry about a thing. The important thing is you're back."

"The old ghoul," Ranma said weakly as she saw her for the first time.

Cologne let that one go, as she realized the poor girl had basically just come back from the dead, and probably wouldn't remember this anyways.

"Did you... heal me?" she asked.

"Nope. You have Akane to thank for that," Cologne said and hopped down from the bed. "Come on, Kasumi Tendo. Let's give these two some privacy. You two should get some rest."

Kasumi nodded and gave each of the two girls a quick peck on the cheek and whispered to her sister, "I'm proud of you."

Akane blushed and squeezed Ranma's hand again while the her sister left with Cologne. She only wished that Ranma was a guy right now, but was too happy to really care.

"Akane... what did you do?" Ranma asked.

"I'll tell you after we've gotten some rest," Akane said.

"Mmm... okay. Sounds good to me," Ranma agreed. She didn't think she'd be able to stay awake much longer anyways.

Akane wouldn't be able to contain her joy if she wasn't so worn out. It was the strangest feeling. She was completely exhausted, yet restless. She couldn't wait to wake up from however long this night of rest was.

Akane felt Ranma squeeze her hand and returned the squeeze. She didn't want to let go, for fear that it was all just a dream, and Ranma would suddenly disappear.

"Hey, before I pass out, I just wanted to say thanks," Ranma said.

"You're welcome," Akane said and felt a tear run down her cheek.

Akane used her free hand to wipe away the tear and sighed as she heard Ranma's soft snores next to her. She had done it. Ranma was back, and she wasn't going to take him for granted anymore.

With a sigh of contentment, Akane let herself fall asleep.

* * *

**Author's notes:** Good things come to those who wait, right? Right? Hard to believe it took me four years to finally release a new chapter, but this one gave me the worst writer's block I've ever had. At long last though, here is the continuation of my story.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	8. Sacrifice

Kasumi hummed to herself happily as she prepared breakfast early in the morning. Things had gotten pretty hectic last night when she informed the household that Ranma had recovered. Her father and Ranma's parents could barely be contained, but she was able to hold them at bay to give him and Akane some peace and quiet. It wouldn't be long, however, before they all woke up, and insisted on visiting Ranma.

Kasumi emptied what she had been cooking into a couple of large bentos that were already filled with rice and a few other dishes. She then set them aside in order to prepare the meals for everyone in the house.

"Oh my, I'd better hurry," Kasumi said when she saw the time on the clock. It was nearly time for everyone to start waking up, and she wanted to be on her way to the hospital before then.

She knew that once everyone was up, they'd make way to Ranma and Akane in the hospital right away. She just wanted to get there first to support Akane, considering what happened last night. She wasn't sure if her sister would explain things to Ranma so soon, but if she did, she would be there for her.

Across town, a certain Ramen shop owner had similar plans. Cologne was preparing some ramen to take to Ranma and Akane. She wanted to make sure there were no complications by visiting them and checking their chi. One couldn't be too careful when dealing with the balance between life and death.

Cologne made sure to work quietly, so as to not wake her daughter. She hadn't told Shampoo anything of Ranma's recovery yet. She wanted to make sure Akane told Ranma everything first, because she knew that Shampoo finding out first would make things a lot more difficult in the end.

Shampoo's reaction was sure to be volatile, but she would understand, eventually. Cologne was just hopeful she didn't take it too personally. Everything would be more complicated, now that Ranma's life was literally shared from Akane's.

Cologne finished the two bowls of ramen and placed them into a delivery carrier. She took a moment to listen to the sounds of her restaurant and home, making sure Shampoo had not woken up. When she was satisfied with the silence, she hopped outside and made her way to the hospital.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter VIII: Sacrifice**

* * *

That morning, Akane woke up from her first nightmare-free night ever since Ranma was put in the hospital. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so refreshed, and enjoyed a glorious stretch. After soaking in the feeling of her aches melting, she glanced over to her left.

Ranma was snoring away softly like she often did as a girl. Her mouth opened wide to exhale quiet "chus". Her hands were raised up on each side of her head, making her appear like an innocent child.

Akane let out a soft giggle at what she saw. Someday, she'd have to figure out exactly why Ranma slept differently as a girl than as a guy. Over the past year, she'd picked up on that and many other subtle differences in behavior that Ranma himself didn't seem to be aware of.

"Well, it wasn't just a dream after all," Akane said to herself.

Akane sat up in her bed and watched Ranma sleep, not wanting to disturb the red head. As long as she was asleep, Akane could focus on figuring things out. Ranma would want to talk about what happened eventually.

A gentle knock sounded at the door, and Akane quietly called for whomever was on the other side.

"Come in," she said, almost a whisper.

The door opened slowly and Elder Cologne hopped in before closing the door.

"Good morning, dear," she said.

"Elder Cologne. Good morning," Akane said. "What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to stop by and make sure everything was alright," she said.

The old woman set down a metal take out carrier box from her restaurant and hopped up to the foot of the bed Ranma was sleeping in. She gazed down on the girl and reached out with her senses, feeling for the flow of chi. What she felt was extremely warm, and strong. She was confident that there would be no complications.

"You've done well, Akane Tendo," she said with a smile. "Son-in-law will be back on his feet in no time."

Akane flushed slightly and nodded. She had been worried that the potion hadn't actually worked, and that she'd wake up to Ranma falling back into a coma. Cologne's words went a long way in chasing away those fears, though.

"So that means..." she remembered the price of using the potion.

"I'm afraid so, dear," Cologne answered, knowing what Akane was hinting at. "Do you have regrets?"

Akane shook her head. "No, I don't."

Cologne considered the girl for a moment. She could see a turmoil of emotions from the look on her face. No doubt, she was worried about how things would change, Cologne thought. She wasn't sure if she envied Akane, or not. To be that young and in love was something she still remembered very well.

"Elder Cologne, I wanted to ask you something," Akane said.

"Go ahead, dear," Cologne replied. She'd been expecting there to be questions.

"Why are you doing this for us?" Akane asked. "Aren't I an obstacle for Shampoo?"

"Oh, hohoho," Cologne laughed. "I didn't do this for the both of you. This was for Ranma. I did what was in the best interest of saving Ranma and keeping Shampoo's chance at retaining her honor alive.

"As for where you stand with Shampoo, that's her business, not mine. I won't deny that you're an obstacle to her winning Ranma, especially now. How she deals with this, is up to her. I will support her in whatever way she decides to reclaim her honor."

"You've been rather insistent in the past," Akane said.

"Don't get me wrong. I haven't given up on son-in-law picking Shampoo," Cologne said with a grin. "But I bear no ill will for you, if that's what you're wondering."

Akane nodded, accepting Cologne's answers. She couldn't help but feel she had just slept with the enemy, but it was all to get Ranma back.

Cologne was a difficult person to figure out. She was honorable, but deceptive at times. Trustworthy, when they needed her, but an enemy when opportunity came her and Shampoo's way. Akane didn't have any doubts she would continue to be this way as long as Shampoo pursued Ranma, and warranted caution.

Shampoo was the real problem though. While things between them had been mostly civil since their first couple encounters, Akane still wasn't on the best of terms with her. Akane was worried how she'd react to this, once she found out.

Ranma stirred in the bed next to Akane and yawned. She smacked her lips before her eyes fluttered open.

"Mmm... something smells good," she mumbled.

"Huh?" was all Akane could manage when she noticed Ranma stirring awake.

"Is'at Kasumi again?" Ranma mumbled as she sat up. "Where am I?" she yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"You're in the hospital," Akane answered.

"Mmm... Akane?" Ranma groaned and stretched. "What happened?"

"Do you remember fighting Ku?" Akane asked.

"Yeah..." Ranma thought about the fight she had seen countless times in her nightmares and shivered. "It was unreal."

"You've been in the hospital ever since," Akane said sadly. She couldn't bring herself to look at Ranma as she spoke, still feeling the guilt of causing Ranma to be in the fight. She was clenching her blanket tightly to try to keep under control.

"I have?"

Akane nodded, "For three days now. You've been in a coma until last night. The doctors were optimistic, but you'd shown no improvement..." Akane couldn't continue as she was on the verge of breaking down into tears.

Ranma felt herself feeling guilty as Akane fought to keep under control. She didn't like making people worry, least of all her. She also believed it was her own pigheadedness that had landed her in the fight in the first place. Deep down, she knew she should have changed back into a girl right away, but didn't out of spite for Akane's attitude. She felt like she had really screwed up.

"I'm sorry, Akane," she said.

"What are you apologizing for?" Akane said between sniffs.

"For putting you through all that," Ranma said. "I should have listened to you... but I couldn't."

Akane wiped her eyes and took a moment to calm down. She wanted to remain composed as long as Ranma seemed to be able to speak with his brain.

"Why couldn't you?" she asked.

Ranma didn't answer. She couldn't bring herself to say it. While there was a part of her that was strangely open to admitting how she felt, given how things had gotten so dire, there was a very large shadow hanging over it. Ranma had failed in spite of what drove him. It was depressing knowing that.

"I just couldn't," she finally said.

"Why!" Akane shouted. "Why couldn't you just stop? Watching what happened... Do you have any idea what that was like?"

Akane hid her face in her hands and began to sob. Ranma felt absolutely ill at how Akane was behaving because of what she had done. She slowly reached out a nervous hand to lightly hold Akane's shoulder while still looking away.

"I said I was sorry," she said. "Can we just leave it at that for now?"

At Ranma's touch, Akane felt her whole body go warm. She wanted to reassure her that everything was okay, but felt overwhelmed by everything that had happened. She had so much she needed to say, but had no idea how to say any of it. It took all of her concentration just to stop crying.

Ranma remained silent while Akane slowly managed to calm her sobs. She was about to turn to look at Akane when her stomach growled and she took her hand back to rub it.

"Ugh," Ranma growled as her hunger made itself known.

Cologne had witnessed the whole exchange and chuckled at Ranma's predicament. "Sounds like you could use something to eat."

The old woman hopped over to her take out box and retrieved two large bowls of ramen. With a finesse that looked impossible, she hopped on to Ranma's bed with a bowl balancing on each hand and gave her one.

"Eat up, but make sure not to spill any," she warned.

Ranma nodded, fully aware of what would happen if the soup spilled on her.

"Thanks."

Cologne nodded and gave the second bowl to Akane.

"You need to eat up too, dear."

"Thank you," Akane said and began to eat slowly.

"Why are you here anyway?" Ranma asked while sucking in the entire bowl of noodles in one mouthful.

Cologne looked over at Akane, and the girl's trouble expression told her that she had not yet explained the situation. Unfortunately, she wasn't sure if she could give all the answers Ranma wanted without explaining about the potion. She would do her best.

"I came to see how you were coming along," she said simply.

"Oh, well thanks, the ramen really hit the spot," Ranma said before gulping down the soup and going "Ah!"

"Well, your appetite is healthy enough," Cologne laughed.

"Hey, I haven't eaten in three days!" Ranma defended herself.

For a moment, the room was quiet besides the sounds of Akane slowly eating her ramen. Ranma had considered asking for a share, since she was still beyond hungry, but left her alone. With nothing else to do, she started to wonder about what had happened while she was knocked out.

"So, what happened while I was out?" she asked.

"Nothing at all," Akane said and put down her chopsticks. "Until Elder Cologne came with the potion, there was no change in your condition."

"A potion?" Ranma asked.

Akane nodded. "We used it to heal you."

"We?" Ranma looked from Akane to Cologne.

"Well, I certainly wasn't going to use a potion on you without first discussing it with Akane," Cologne said. "It did require her to be here, after all."

"What do you mean?"

Cologne looked at Akane again. She didn't want to go into detail unless she was alright with it. When Akane nodded, Cologne returned the gesture and spoke.

"There was no way you'd heal on your own, so I made a very special potion that allowed Akane to help you," she explained. "It took no more than fifteen minutes."

"Akane took it too?" Ranma asked and glanced over. Akane would not meet her eyes.

"That's right," Cologne nodded. "Kasumi also was there to assist with giving you the potion."

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Akane called.

Kasumi walked in with a large bag and a warm smile. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Kasumi," Akane said.

Ranma was unable to speak as she looked from one person to another. She wondered how the potion allowed Akane to help her recover. She also wondered if there were any adverse effects she should look out for. She didn't like having anything to do with Amazon potions, but was still grateful for being awake.

"Well, I guess I really owe you one, huh, Akane?" she said and rubbed the back of her head nervously.

"Oh, Ranma, you're awake," Kasumi said as she noticed her for the first time. "Have you eaten?"

"Cologne brought us ramen," Ranma said and held up her empty bowl. "But I'm still pretty hungry."

"Well, in that case, have this," Kasumi withdrew a large bento from her bag. "There's one for you too Akane."

Ranma took the bento with a wide smile and immediately dug in. Akane, also took the bento offered to her, but set it aside to finish her ramen. Before she could even finish her soup, Ranma had finished consuming the bento Kasumi had given to her.

"Thanks, Kasumi, that really hit the spot!" Ranma exclaimed.

"You're welcome, Ranma," Kasumi smiled.

Ranma returned the smile with her own toothy grin and set down the empty bento. She was eying Akane's unopened bento anxiously.

"You can go ahead," Akane said after finishing her soup.

"I can?"

"Yes, I'll be fine," Akane handed her bento over.

Ranma took the bento and inhaled it as quickly as she had the past two servings. She let out a little burp after finishing and sighed in contentment.

"There we go," she said, her hunger finally satiated.

"You're welcome," Akane said flatly.

"Er, thanks," Ranma said sheepishly.

"Well, I'd better get going," Cologne suddenly said and gathered the two empty bowls. "I have to get back before Shampoo starts wondering where I've run off to."

"Oh, okay," Ranma said.

"Thanks again for everything, "Akane said and bowed.

"You're welcome dear," she said. "Ranma," she nodded and then left the room with her delivery carrier.

Once the door closed behind Cologne, Kasumi turned to address the two girls.

"The doctor said you've healed completely," she said. "All he needs is an evaluation where you answer some questions, and then he'll clear you to go home."

"That's great, I don't want to be here any longer than I have to," Ranma said.

Before anyone else could say anything, the door opened with a clamor of activity. The other residents of the household, minus Nabiki, came pouring into the room. They all crowded around Ranma's bed in a mixture of emotions.

"Oh, my boy, you had me so worried!" Genma shouted emphatically. Ranma couldn't tell if it was more for himself though, since he'd most likely have to answer to his wife should their son fall to anything.

"My dear son, I knew you'd be okay," Nodoka said while hiding her concerned face behind her kimono sleeve.

"We wanted to come when Kasumi first told us last night, but she'd have nothing of it," Soun said. "How are you feeling?"

"Feeling? Well..." Ranma rubbed her head. "I feel pretty good, considering what I went through. Ha, thanks to Akane."

"Akane?" Soun asked. Kasumi had not told them any of the details concerning Ranma's recovery, so this was news to them. He looked over to his youngest daughter, whom took to looking at her folded hands with great interest.

"Yeah. She and the old ghoul used a potion to heal me," Ranma said sheepishly. "I don't know what it did, but I feel better than ever!" she clenched her right hand into a fist.

At that moment, the room literally became warmer as Akane blushed so deeply her aura radiated outwards as brilliant pink light. No one, except for Kasumi, knew just what Ranma's words could have meant. If they knew, there was no telling how they'd be rejoicing. As is, Soun was already crying a river.

"That's my girl!" he cried joyously. "She's healed Ranma, proving her devotion to him!"

"Our schools shall be united, Tendo!" Genma joined his long time friend in tearful cheer.

"My son is so manly to have earned such devotion from his fiancé," Nodoka also cried.

The trio's antics promptly ended Akane's pink aura and replaced it with a nervous face. Akane was nearly hyperventilating from their words. She couldn't believe how on the mark her father was. She would not let this go unchallenged, however. Not while Ranma still had no idea what really happened.

"Cut it out, you two!" she snapped, face still flushed. "All I did was use the potion Cologne made! If you want to thank someone, go smother her!"

At the thought of hugging Cologne, Soun and Genma went cold and immediately stopped their cheers.

"Well, ahem," Soun cleared his throat. "Perhaps we're being a bit presumptuous."

"Yeah, I'm sure Cologne will be alright with a simple 'thank you'," Genma said.

"Well, you two do what you want, I'm just happy to be back," Ranma said, trying to downplay the emotions running through the room.

"Sweet-oh!" Happosai shouted as he suddenly bounded into the room, right for Ranma's chest. He was quickly stopped by Ranma's fist to his face.

"Not that happy," Ranma said with a warning tone.

Happosai fell down onto the bed and rubbed his face. He mumbled something about being an ingrate before getting to his feet and straightening his act. He gave Ranma a serious look with his hands behind his back.

"Anyways, I hope you're not planning on a break from your training," he said. "You still have a long ways to go."

"Not on your life!" Ranma said, holding up a defiant fist. "I'm going to make that guy pay if it's the last thing I do!"

"Ranma..." Akane said sadly.

Ranma's eyes went wide once she realized what she had said. She had just gotten dangerously close to such an end, and had no desire to repeat it. She understood how that kind of statement might be unsettling for everyone.

"My bad," she said, embarrassed. "But it still stands. I won't let him beat me twice!"

Akane wanted to protest. She didn't want Ranma putting himself at risk again, but knew there was no stopping him once he became this determined. As much as it hurt her, she realized her best option was to support him, and hope for the best. She had to believe in him.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ranma ended up being released from the hospital a few hours later, once the doctor had a chance to do an examination. He was impressed by Ranma's sudden full recovery, and found absolutely no reason to hold her.

Once they returned home, Ranma immediately resumed training in the dojo. She and Happosai were in the middle of intense training drills when Akane arrived in her gi.

Akane watched in awe as Ranma advanced quickly in her mastery of the chi techniques Happosai was bestowing on her. Despite her focus, and enflamed drive, Ranma was showing a gentle finesse in her movements, expelling her chi slowly. She was clearly more focused on learning execution instead of brute force.

Happosai directed his young pupil with no remorse. He shouted out orders constantly, keeping Ranma moving both with and against her flow. He threw targets for her to strike with extensions of chi, and even had her chase him at times. The entire time they did this, Happosai was sensing her chi closely. He was amazed at how strong it was. All along though, he sensed something very different about it.

At more than one point, he could sense something whenever Ranma let her chi flare slightly, and unleash a more powerful attack. Each time, he glanced at Akane watching them. He found something very curious about the way Ranma's chi felt.

Ranma chased Happosai with her strikes, focusing on throwing her chi, rather than landing physical blows. At first, her aim was terrible, and her reaction slow. Depending on her eyes wasn't good enough for someone so nimble. It wasn't until she learned to feel for Happosai that she was able to be more on the mark. Any time she did manage to connect, however, Happosai easily deflected the attack that was more for show than damage.

This continued for some time until Happosai met Ranma's fist with his finger and staggered her. With Ranma now stunned, he twirled his pipe and looked at her with judging eyes.

"Not bad... not bad at all, Ranma," he said.

Ranma was breathing heavily and wiping the sweat from her brow. She hadn't noticed during the training, but now that she had time to rest, the aches hit her all at once. She was exhausted.

"You learn fast," Happosai continued his review, since the girl seemed too exhausted to speak. "I'm impressed you learned such a fine touch so quickly. It's allowed you to practice much longer this time."

"Well, last time didn't work out too good when I was just blasting away," Ranma said between breaths.

Happosai laughed at Ranma's critique of herself. He always enjoyed throwing students to the wolves the first time he trained them new techniques. It was very entertaining to see how they stumbled and made general fools of themselves. It wasn't that he wanted to humiliate them, however. He always wanted to see how his students handled adversity before getting serious. He also liked to see how on the ball they were.

"Well, it's good you picked up so quickly. You've made more progress than I ever hoped for," he said.

"Thanks," Ranma said. She was finally catching her breath and was preparing to go another round.

Happosai felt Ranma's chi ebbing, and held up his hand.

"No more for today," he said. "Go and get some rest. I want you to pay attention to how you feel, because it's going to be different than your regular beatings."

"Alright," Ranma conceded and exited the dojo.

Akane watched Ranma walk away slowly before turning back around. She had been watching for nearly an hour in envy of Ranma's abilities. More than that, she also felt guilty over not working on her training too. She needed to be better so she could help him.

"Uh, Master Happosai?" she asked nervously.

Happosai looked at Akane with a curious expression.

"I was wondering if you could teach me these techniques," she said.

Happosai eyed Akane for a second. He had heard the question, but was thinking of something else as he looked at the young girl.

"I don't train girls," he said coldly.

Akane had been expecting that answer. From the start, Happosai made it clear he wouldn't make a girl his heir. He was concerned with groping girls than training them, and made a very strained exception for Ranma. Still, she was hoping he'd make an exception for her too, and fought to keep her temper in check.

"Can't you make an exception? I'm a martial artist of this school, just like Ranma," she argued.

"And if Ranma wants to train you, he can, but I won't," Happosai shot back.

"We need everything we can get against this opponent!" Akane argued, now shouting. "I want to help!"

"Haven't you already?" Happosai asked with a speculative look in his eyes.

"What?" Akane stepped back as Happosai's question took her by surprise.

"Ranma's chi is rather interesting now, wouldn't you agree?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Humph," Happosai walked past the stunned girl to leave the dojo. "If you want training, talk to Ranma. You might want to tell him before you ask, though," he said before leaving her behind.

Akane stood there in complete shock. He knew. She didn't know how, but Happosai knew.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ranma was sitting with her legs crossed in the family room relaxing. The soreness of her body wasn't as bad as she thought it'd be, but she felt ravenously hungry. She was grateful that Kasumi was willing to cook a little extra for her when she had mentioned it a few minutes ago. She couldn't wait to eat. Although she'd never say it, she was hungry enough to even take on Akane's cooking.

On the other side of the table from Ranma, Nabiki was reading a magazine. Beside her, Ranma's mother was enjoying some tea to herself. Genma and Soun were engrossed in a game of shogi.

Ranma was watching her father mulling over his move when Happosai walked in. She looked at the old man, expecting him to say something, but he walked by without a word. He simply sat on the porch by the pond and lit his pipe before taking a large puff.

Soun and Genma looked up from their game when their master sat down next to them. They watched him smoke his pipe quietly, and smiled.

"You've done well, my boy," Genma said as Happosai let out a few smoke rings. "You've impressed the master."

"Hmm? How can you tell?" Ranma asked.

"The master always enjoys a good smoke if he's satisfied with a training session," Soun said. "We rarely ever saw him do it when we were training with him."

"Heh heh, old habits die hard, eh?" Happosai chuckled.

Genma, Soun, and Ranma shared a silent glance to one another at Happosai's words. They were thinking of a different old habit of his that he refused to let go of.

"Just like the old days, eh Tendo?" Genma asked.

"Indeed," Soun said.

Happosai said nothing to confirm or deny their claims. He just sat with his back to everyone while he smoked and watched the setting sun.

Ranma watched the grand master curiously. She'd never seen him behave this way for so long. Usually he'd be sagely for a minute or two, but he'd gone a few hours without the slightest bit of his usual perverted self. She didn't know if she should be glad, or worried he was hallucinating.

"So, what can I expect in recovering?" Ranma asked.

Happosai took another puff before answering.

"You'll need more food and sleep than usual," he said. "Normal training exhausts your body long before your chi runs out. Exhausting your chi is that much more taxing on you."

"Doesn't sound so bad," Ranma said. Eating and sleeping were two of her favorite things, after all.

"Sounds like it's right up your alley, eh Saotome?" Nabiki asked.

"Ha ha..." Ranma replied sarcastically.

"Now, dear, don't tease him" Nodoka said to Nabiki. "Someone as manly as my son needs to keep up his strength."

"To do manly things, right?" Nabiki teased.

"Oh my..." Nodoka hid her blush behind her sleeve.

"Would you two cut that out!" Ranma shouted.

"Sounds like Ranma's a little frustrated," Nabiki said with an evil grin. "Probably can't wait to return to being a guy."

"Nabiki!" Ranma complained. She was starting to turn pink from what they were implying.

"Oh my... so manly," Nodoka said, almost giggling.

"Mom!" Ranma was now beyond pink. Nabiki was bad enough. Having her own mother thinking such things though was embarrassment on a whole new level that no oen could even dream of touching.

Akane walked in from the direction of the dojo and stopped at the doorway to the family room. Her arrival managed to attract the attention of the two women, saving Ranma from more embarrassment.

Ranma noticed they had stopped and turned to look at what had distracted them. She saw Akane standing at the doorway. She was holding onto the side of the entrance and looked rather nervous.

"Hey Akane, you okay?" Ranma asked.

"Er, uh... yeah, I'm fine," she said. "Can I... talk to you for a minute? In private?"

"Uh, sure, okay," Ranma got up. She followed Akane as she walked back in the direction of the dojo while Happosai watched them from the corner of his eye. Soun and Genma were oblivious to what just happened as they played their shogi while Nabiki and Nodoka looked on a little stunned.

Akane waited until they were in the walkway leading to the dojo before stopping. She turned to look at Ranma and prepared for a very difficult conversation.

"So, what's up?" Ranma asked. "You look kinda disappointed with something."

"Oh, well... I asked Happosai if he'd train me," Akane said.

"And he shot you down, didn't he?"

Akane nodded.

Ranma wasn't surprised. Like her father, Happosai didn't train girls. They lived in a world where men were martial artists and women were property.

Of course, she was uncomfortable with the idea of training Akane too. She didn't want to subject her to what she went through growing up. She wasn't even sure if she could stand it. Her training meant uncompromised sacrifice. She said she was willing to put her life on the line for the art, and her father held her to that standard. She wanted to protect Akane, not endanger her.

Despite her feelings, Ranma felt she owed Akane something. The training for what she was currently learning wasn't hard, and didn't put the student in any danger beyond exhaustion. It was a useful technique, and one she was willing to pass on.

"Well, I can teach once I'm done learning," she said.

"Really?" Akane perked up a little.

"Sure thing," Ranma said and smiled. "It's the least I can do."

"Oh..." Akane's face dropped back down.

"What's wrong?" Ranma asked. She thought agreeing to teach her would make her happy.

"You don't have to train me because you think you owe me anything," she said.

"What?" Ranma couldn't believe Akane was going to throw it back in her face. She was ready to spit back the first thing that came to her mind, but Akane saving her life was still fresh in her mind. If there was one thing, Ranma repaid debts, even if they're she's not expected to.

"You don't owe me anything," Akane insisted.

"Of course I do," Ranma replied. "Akane, you saved my life."

"And you've saved mine," Akane shot back. "You brought me back from the dead once. Now, we're even."

Ranma paused to think over what Akane was saying. Her tone was unsteady, like she was trying to hide something. Ranma had seen Akane like this on one other occasion, and the memory was very troubling. It was when Akane was hiding what she considered a life debt to Shinnosuke. There wasn't a doubt in Ranma's mind that Akane was hiding something serious.

"Akane, what's wrong?" Ranma asked.

"Nothing's wrong," Akane said.

"You're lying," Ranma accused her. "This is just like in Ryuganzawa."

"Ryuganzawa, what?" Akane didn't understand.

"That was the last time you hid something from me," Ranma said. "I'll never forget it."

Akane could feel her control on her emotions slipping. Like Ranma, she remembered what had happened in Ryuganzawa. She never admitted it to anyone, but that was the only time she had ever felt she had betrayed Ranma in an attempt to protect him.

"Ranma, you don't understand," she said shakily.

"You're right, I don't," Ranma admitted. "I didn't understand then, because you insisted on hiding it from me. So just tell me what's troubling you."

"Ranma..."

Ranma didn't want to hear it. She knew how stubborn Akane could be. Before Akane could argue, Ranma took her by the shoulders.

"Look at me," she demanded gently.

Akane looked up into Ranma's eyes. She could not hide the pain in her own. She wished things could have been simpler. In a simpler life, they could be happy.

Ranma saw the pain in Akane's eyes. The same pain they carried when she wanted her to understand unspoken words. Ranma thought she had back then, and assumed wrong. She had assumed the worst of Akane back then, but not this time. This time, she would hear what she had to say. She had to hear her say it.

"Tell me what's wrong, Akane," Ranma pleaded. She kept her gaze on Akane's eyes as she held her shoulders.

"There's nothing wrong, Ranma," Akane said as she stared back into Ranma's eyes. Those eyes were piercing into her heart. She couldn't lie when Ranma looked into her soul like that. She also couldn't hide the pain she was fighting so hard to hold inside. This would have been even worse if Ranma was in his male form.

While Akane's face was pained, her voice was sincere. Ranma didn't sense a lie.

"Then what's going on?" she asked. "What aren't you telling me?"

Akane looked at Ranma, at the concern in her eyes. She heard the soft caring in her voice. It was something that let Akane know she could trust Ranma, no matter what. She gulped down her fear of what might happen, and let go.

"It's about the potion we used to heal you," she said.

"The one the old ghoul made," Ranma noted. "What about it?"

"Your chi was almost completely gone. Cologne could barely sense anything when she examined you," she explained. "The potion let me heal you by giving you some of mine." Akane began to sob softly as she finished speaking.

"Okay..." Ranma thought about what Akane had said. It sounded simple enough, so what was the big deal? Ms Hinako shared peoples' chi with herself all the time. What else was there to this potion? Why was talking about it making Akane cry?

"So, why are you crying?" Ranma asked.

Akane coughed and fought back her tears.

"Please, try to understand, Ranma," she pleaded, barely a whisper. "You were dying... In order to save your life, I gave you part of mine."

Ranma went numb. Akane's words were a whisper in her ear, but they rang loudly in her head. The price to save her had been great, and Akane had paid it. Such an act was more than she could comprehend.

"What did she do to you?" Ranma asked, her voice shaky and low. She stepped back away from Akane, overtaken by shock. "What did she give you?"

"She told me everything before I agreed," Akane said, now crying softly again. "I knew what I was doing."

"Did you?" Ranma asked. "Did you really?"

"Yes. I knew exactly what I was doing."

"Why?" Ranma fell to her knees. How could she ever hope to repay such a debt. How could Akane knowingly pay such a price? How could she have been so stupid to have caused this to happen? Ranma was being overwhelmed by these thoughts and questions.

"Because..." Akane wanted so desperately to say those three words she had cried when under the effects of the potion. She wanted to, but her voice would not leave her lips.

Ranma was holding herself up against the ground now. She stared at her hands on the earth and tried to make sense of everything. Through the haze of her mind, a question was asked. How could Cologne use such a potion, and why? What else was there going on? Amazon potions always have a catch. Always.

"The old ghoul..." Ranma hissed and grabbed fists of dirt in her hands. "She did this."

"Ranma," Akane managed to say, her voice now returning. "What do you..."

"She did this to you," Ranma said with anger in her voice.

Ranma got to her feet and looked at her hands. She felt the blood flowing through her body, the life given at the cost of Akane's. She would not forgive any harm being done to Akane.

"I'm going to get her for this!" Ranma shouted and leapt onto the outer wall of the Tendo property.

"Ranma, wait!" Akane cried. "You don't understand!"

"You're going to pay, old ghoul!" Ranma shouted at the top of her lungs and sprang off the wall. She landed on the roof of the next house and began running as fast as she could. She was going to find out what Cologne had done. She was going to beat the truth out of her.

Akane watched Ranma disappear along the rooftops. She had failed to make him understand. At a loss for words, and action, she fell to her knees crying.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Quick, three day updates are better than four year updates, eh? It's funny looking back at my original draft of chapter 7 from four years ago, and writing chapter 8 now. At no point in time had I originally planned things to go this way. I had struggled with the hospital part for months, and just let it die a slow death. I have to say, I'm glad I did, because the solution I finally came up with has developed really well, and still is in line with my original plans for Ranma's fight with Ku. You don't even want to know what the original draft had going on.

As such though, the original title doesn't necessarily make sense to me anymore. I may have to consider changing it.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	9. Truth

Ranma had only one thing on her mind as she ran over the roof tops of Nerima. She was on her way to the Nekohoten to confront Cologne over the potion she had given to Akane.

Ranma had always suspected there was a catch to the potion they had used to heal her, but never did she imagine it would be something like what Akane had revealed. The price of being healed was more than Ranma would have ever asked of anyone, especially Akane. She couldn't accept that this was given freely. There had to be a trick of some kind. Mind control, blackmail, death threats, anything she'd seen the Amazons do before.

Everything else in Ranma's mind was crushed under the weight of Akane's words. She needed answers. She had to know just what the hell was going on, and there was only one person that could provide those answers. Ranma couldn't wait to have Cologne in her hands. If she didn't answer her, she'd beat the answer out of the old ghoul.

"No way is she getting away with this," Ranma hissed, completely blinded by her fury.

She would make this all better, she thought as she neared her destination. She was going to save Akane from what this potion did.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter IX: Truth**

* * *

Cologne was sitting in her restaurant enjoying a rare smoke from her long pipe. With the events of the previous night, and her expectation of a visitor, or two, she had opted to keep her establishment closed for business.

Shampoo had protested, but could do nothing to persuade her great grandmother to do otherwise. She was now doing what she hated most, refinishing all the tables and the floor, so it looked brand new.

"This stupid," she complained while waxing the floor by hand.

Cologne paid her great granddaughter no mind. She had tuned out the girl's complaining hours ago, when they were much more colorful. It wasn't until Ranma burst through the door, when Cologne paid attention to anything.

"Well, hello, son-in-law," she said.

"Aiya! Airen!" shampoo exclaimed happily.

Shampoo stopped what she was doing and ran to Ranma. She gave the shorter girl her usual glomp, which Ranma ignored.

"Shampoo so happy you better!" she cooed.

Ranma didn't care what Shampoo said. She had her sights honed in on Cologne. She broke free from Shampoo's hold without a word and stomped over to the old woman.

"We need to talk, old ghoul," she hissed.

"It seems Akane's had a talk with you, son-in-law," Cologne said.

"That's right, old ghoul," Ranma said and took another step closer. "I want to know what you did to her!"

"It is as I told you," Cologne answered calmly. "I gave Akane a potion to heal you with."

"What this potion you talking about?" Shampoo asked.

Ranma ignored Shampoo and advanced on Cologne. "What did that potion do!" she demanded. "Answer me!"

Ranma's aura flared, and she swung for the old woman. Cologne easily hopped over the blow and whacked Ranma on the head. Ranma tumbled to the ground with a loud thud, and her aura faded.

"You should really consider coming on a night's sleep and full stomach if you're going to try to take me on," Cologne said.

"Why you!" Ranma jumped to her feet and took another swing at Cologne.

Cologne dodged again and let Ranma tumbled forward.

"Are you finished?" she asked.

Ranma groaned and got to her feet slowly. She was still weak from her training, because she hadn't eaten yet. She suddenly realized that fighting would be impossible. She would not surrender, however.

"Tell me what you did to Akane," she demanded.

"Mmm... you are a stubborn one," Cologne mused.

"Great grandmother, what Ranma saying? You make potion for Akane?" Shampoo asked.

"That's right," Cologne nodded to her great granddaughter. "I made a special potion that Akane used to heal Ranma."

"Aiya! Why you no give to me!" Shampoo complained in shock. "Shampoo should be one to heal airen!"

"I explain to you later. For now, let me speak to son-in-law in private," Cologne said.

"If it involve airen, it involve Shampoo!" Shampoo argued.

"Do as I tell you," Cologne warned her.

"That not fair!" Shampoo yelled.

Cologne surprised both of the girls when she flew over Ranma and whapped Shampoo over the head. While not as hard as she had struck Ranma, it still dropped the girl to the ground.

"You'll get your explanation later," Cologne said. "Leave me and Ranma, and go help Mousse scrub the grease in the kitchen."

"But great grandmother!" Shampoo wanted to argue some more.

"Now!" Cologne shouted.

Shampoo froze for a second at the tone Cologne had used with her. It was the tone of her authority as an elder of their clan, and demanded her obedience. Shampoo grumbled, but did as she was told, and disappeared into the kitchen.

Ranma watched the exchange curiously. She was surprised that Shampoo knew nothing of what was going on. Any scheme Cologne had would usually involve Shampoo too. Of course, that didn't mean Cologne wasn't planning anything either.

"Sit down, son-in-law, and have something to eat," Cologne said while hopping back to the front counter. She twirled her staff to lift up a bowl of ramen she had prepared earlier and set it down on the table in front of Ranma. "You need your strength."

Ranma eyed the ramen a little nervously. She had more than enough past experiences to suspect any food offered by Cologne or Shampoo. She was here to discuss the very subject of potions, so of course she was wondering if the bowl had been laced.

"Don't worry. There's nothing in it," Cologne said.

Ranma decided to answer her hunger and started eating the ramen. She felt no strange effects after the first bite, and finished the rest of it quickly.

"So, what did Akane tell you?" Cologne asked after Ranma finished drinking the soup.

Ranma had calmed slightly from when she first entered, and answered in a more controlled tone.

"She told me what she had to do to make the potion work," she said.

Cologne nodded. "So you realize what brought you back to life?"

"Akane said she gave me part of her life," Ranma glared at Cologne.

"Not just part of it. Half of it," Cologne corrected her. "The potion created a balance using the bridge between you two. Two perfect halves of Akane's life energy chi flowed between you."

"Half of her life..." Ranma felt cold. "Does that mean... will she die sooner?"

"That's correct, and so will you."

Now, Ranma felt sick. She was hoping that Akane had been lied to, that it was some kind of sick joke. There was nothing hidden beneath Cologne's words, however. Her tone, her eyes, everything was dead serious. Ranma had nothing to say. All she could do was sigh sadly.

Cologne watched Ranma carefully. She could see the despair appear in her eyes right before she closed them and sighed.

"How do you feel, Ranma?" she asked, dropping her usual 'son-in-law' title.

"I don't know," Ranma said. "How am I supposed to feel?"

"I guess that depends on how you feel about Akane's ability to save you," Cologne said. She noticed Ranma's puzzled look. "Did she not tell you how she was able to save you?"

"She just said she gave me part of her life," Ranma said. "Why? Was there more to it?"

"Mmm... she didn't directly give you her life like one pours tea into a cup," Cologne said.

"The potion I gave Akane is one that creates balance between two people. A bridge was formed between you, and I unlocked your chakras to allow your chi to flow freely. Once the flow was at the bridge, Akane had to let it openly pass to you.

"The passing of chi from one to the other in this manner requires a very special bond. Akane had to be absolutely devoted to you, or her side of the bridge would have remained closed. Any doubts at all in how she felt would have prevented you from being healed."

"I don't understand," Ranma said. "What do you mean 'devoted'?"

"There's many different devotions that allow for this kind of healing," Cologne admitted. "At home, the people of my tribe have used this only a few times, usually between family. A parent for their child, or between siblings. You and Akane, or not family, though."

Not even Ranma was dense enough to miss what Cologne was implying. She felt slightly warm in the face as things started to dawn on her.

"So, you mean..."

Cologne quickly shook her head. "I don't mean to suggest anything, Ranma. Akane could be devoted to you for any number of reasons, but whichever way, she knowingly gave up half of her life to get you back."

Ranma didn't exactly understand what Cologne meant. While they were far from lovers, Akane making this sacrifice out of caring for, say, a friend, just didn't make sense to Ranma.

Still, Ranma couldn't make sense of anything, since she didn't know what Akane was thinking when she did it. Instead, she put herself in Akane's position, faced with Akane dying. This had happened once before, and back then, she did whatever it took to save Akane. Faced with this choice, her heart made the choice obvious.

"So that's it?" Ranma asked. "That's all there is to the potion?"

"Disappointed?" Cologne asked in return.

Ranma let out a sigh. "I'm disappointed I can't reverse what's happened."

"Don't dwell on the past, Ranma," Cologne said sagely. "You owe it to Akane to make the most of what she's given to you."

"I know..." Ranma just didn't know what she was going to do. She wasn't used to thinking about her life in finite terms, but it was suddenly a very important topic. She wondered if she was obligated to remain with her. She wondered if Akane expected her to, even though she said she owed her nothing, and that they were even.

Ranma couldn't get anything straight in her head, and it was killing her. She grabbed her head out of frustration and slumped in her seat.

"You seem to be even more confused than when you got here," Cologne observed.

"I don't know what to do," Ranma muttered.

"I don't envy you there," Cologne chuckled slightly. "Things are a lot easier when you have laws of honor to guide you."

Ranma understood all too well how strict the Amazon laws were, and what they demanded. She'd been on the receiving end of Shampoo's execution of two laws with equally ridiculous outcomes. Thinking of those laws did make her wonder about something though.

"So, why not Shampoo?" she asked.

"Heh, I was wondering when you were going to ask that," Cologne chuckled again. "One would assume I'd choose Shampoo."

"Well, it's the perfect trap, isn't it?" Ranma asked, but wasn't expecting an answer. "Shampoo's devotion heals me, and I owe her a life debt. My sense of honor would make me accept her laws then."

"I would be lying if I told you I hadn't considered that," Cologne admitted. "It would have been quite an easy way to satisfy Shampoo's quest for honor. But, had she failed, and you died, her honor would have been irreparably damaged."

"She seems devoted enough," Ranma said, more than a little spiteful towards the girl's behavior. She really didn't like her unquestioning devotion to Amazon law.

"To her honor, and our laws, yes," Cologne agreed.

"Just the laws?" Ranma asked.

"Listen, Ranma," Cologne sighed. "Amazon tradition has survived over 3,000 years because of our strict devotion to our laws. Shampoo is expected to follow me, and become an elder of the tribe. She's felt the weight of that destiny since she can remember. She is uncompromising, because she was raised to be this way. I have always considered if she was just following law, and not really devoted to you."

Ranma felt like Cologne had just dropped one of Happosai's bombs on her head. The potion was more than enough for her to handle, but now her whole world was being completely flipped upside down and inside out.

"Just, what are you trying to say?" Ranma asked.

"I'm saying you should leave Shampoo to me," Cologne said sternly. "I understand our laws better than she does, and it's my responsibility to make sure she's prepared to succeed me. There's more important things for me to consider than to make sure Shampoo satisfies one single law. You should forget all this, and focus on Akane."

Ranma considered Cologne's words carefully. She was right, of course, about her knowing more about Amazon law than Shampoo. Maybe she knew of a way for Shampoo to retain honor without dragging her to China and forcing the marriage.

Ranma hoped that's what the ghoul was implying. Cologne had to know that, now, there was no way Ranma was going to marry Shampoo, short of Akane dying. There just was no good way for Shampoo to end up with him now, not that there ever was, in Ranma's mind.

"So, what are you going to do, Ranma?" Cologne asked.

"I don't know," Ranma said and slowly got up from her seat. "But I know where I need to be."

Ranma turned and left the Nekohoten without another word. Cologne watched her walk, and then run down the street. Once Ranma was out of sight, she turned to look at where Shampoo had been listening to them.

"You can come out now, Shampoo," she called to the girl in hiding.

Shampoo came out from the kitchen with a mixture of pain and anger in her eyes. She looked ready to either cry, or scream, at any moment, and her whole body looked to be tense under barely controlled rage.

Cologne felt sorry for whatever silent fury Mousse had to experience in the back. There was no sign or sound of him behind Shampoo, meaning he was either unconscious, or a duck, and unconscious.

"Great grandmother..." Shampoo paused as she confronted her elder.

Cologne simply watched her great granddaughter passively. She showed no signs she was afraid of what was about to happen.

"Why?" Shampoo asked. "Why do you betray me!"

"I have done no such thing," Cologne said with grim seriousness.

Accusations of betrayal were dangerous ones to make in their tribe, especially to an elder. If Shampoo made a claim that Cologne acted against her honor, she would need to meet that challenge.

"You helped obstacle steal my airen!" Shampoo hissed through her clenched teeth.

"Be careful with what you say, Shampoo," Cologne warned. "I only helped to heal Ranma."

"You should have given Shampoo the potion!" Shampoo shouted. Her eyes were now glowing with her rage. "It was Shampoo's right!"

"As elder, it is my duty to determine who has any right, not yours!" Cologne declared, meeting her glare.

"You make claim against Shampoo's right of airen?" Shampoo asked. She reached for her chúi that were against the wall.

"I would never deny your claim on Ranma," Cologne said.

"Sh-Shampoo..." Mousse groaned as he stumbled out of the kitchen. He looked like he had just taken a beating. "Perhaps if you just talked with the elder..."

Shampoo spun on Mousse and struck him in the face with the chúi in her right hand. The blow sent him back into the kitchen and left him unconscious. Satisfied that Mousse would no longer interfere, Shampoo returned her attention to her elder, weapons ready.

"Do you mean to challenge me?" Cologne asked, grim warning in her tone.

"Shampoo declare right of challenge," she said without flinching. "You helped obstacle steal airen. You betray fellow Amazon!"

Cologne shook her head. She was afraid Shampoo's unwavering devotion to a single law would cause this kind of blindness. Shampoo had always failed in seeing the big picture, and now it had caused her to declare a challenge of honor. She would have no choice, but to honor her challenge. The time for talking was over.

"Very well. Your right of challenge is within our laws," she declared. "I accept your challenge against my honor."

Shampoo clenched her chúi tightly. She was completely overtaken by her rage, slipping into madness. She knew this was wrong. She knew she stood no chance against her great grandmother, but the depth of the betrayal she felt buried all of that. Matters of honor were everything in their tribe, and she would not suffer this silently.

Shampoo charged at Cologne with a mighty cry and twirled her chúi, swinging for her twice in one smooth motion. Cologne jumped over the whirling strikes, but did not attack back. Shampoo followed her with a kick at the end of her spin, which was also dodged without retaliation.

Shampoo followed her great grandmother closely, swinging her chúi furiously. She destroyed tables and chairs with her onslaught of blows, but failed to hit her elder every time. The destruction did nothing to sooth her rage, and she continued to fight with everything she had.

This pattern continued as Shampoo assaulted Cologne relentlessly, and the elder merely dodged everything. Shampoo chased her great grandmother through the entire restaurant, smashing tables and decorations as they went. It wasn't until they ran into the street, when she finally paused to catch her breath.

Shampoo eyed Cologne from where she was standing. She had yet to land a single blow, but refused to let her determination waver. The elder still hadn't made any attacks of her own, which only frustrated her even more.

Cologne could see Shampoo's unrelenting fury manifesting into a battle aura. The red aura glowed brightly in the dimming street of Nerima.

Cologne had hoped that after a few minutes, her great granddaughter would vent enough of her anger to wake out of her drunken rage, but it was only getting worse. She didn't want to hurt her heir, but knew there was no other way to end this now. She reached into her calm, and unleashed her own blue battle aura to meet Shampoo's.

Shampoo let her rage take over. Her anger coursed through her veins like poison, setting her off into a barrage of attacks at the great grandmother she had been devoted to her whole life. Honor, duty, destiny, family. All of them were cast aside by her anger now.

Cologne leapt high into the air as Shampoo engaged her with the flurry of strikes with her chúi. She parried every attack with her staff, showing undaunted calm in the face of Shampoo's rage. Her blue aura flashed brilliantly as it collided with Shampoo's red aura.

The two combatants remained in the air, creating a storm of blows and light. Shampoo's cries were the only sound from either of them.

Shampoo continued to attack, fueled purely by her anger. Her attacks became increasingly wild, clumsy to Cologne's precision blocks and parries. Eventually, this caused her swing too wide from her built up momentum, and Cologne was able to strike her two wrists to disarm her.

With Shampoo defenseless, Cologne struck her in several pressure points to immobilize her before striking her down to the ground. When she landed, she stood, perched on her staff, looking over the paralyzed girl.

"I should kill you for what you've done," Cologne said with a hint of disgust in her voice. "To challenge an elder is to invite death upon defeat."

Shampoo glared at her great grandmother. She didn't care if she died this way. In her mind, she wasn't the one that had done something dishonorable.

"But I won't kill you," Cologne continued. "Because I am not just an Elder. I am also your great grandmother, and I love you as much as I follow _all_ of our laws and traditions."

Shampoo's anger faded just a bit, and she now looked a little worried at what Cologne might say. She implied that Shampoo had overlooked laws, maybe even violated them, which was like ice water to her resolve.

"Shampoo, your challenge on a fellow Amazon's honor is satisfied with your defeat," Cologne said and pointed at the girl. "The winner of such a challenge may decide your punishment, as approved by an Elder.

"As I am both, your punishment shall be decided by me alone," Cologne said, showing no sign of any emotion.

"Your punishment for losing the challenge of honor is as follows. You are not to pursue your claim on Ranma until such a time when I deem you fit to execute the laws of our people," Cologne declared.

Shampoo's rage evaporated in an instant. What her great grandmother, the most respected elder of their tribe, had just said was almost the worst punishment any Amazon could be given. To be stripped of the power to execute the law was to be forced to live in disgrace. Even those who were exiled were at least on honor quests. Shampoo had no such chance at redemption until the punisher declared the price had been paid. She was no better than a lowly servant male now.

Cologne looked down on Shampoo's look of defeat and shook her head sadly. She knew how Shampoo must feel, to be given this punishment, but she couldn't allow her to continue on the way she was behaving.

"Shampoo, you are my heir," she said gently, now returning to her role as great grandmother. "Your destiny is to follow in my foot steps as an elder of our tribe. You must learn to follow all of our laws, and not be consumed by one matter of honor."

Cologne tapped her on the shoulders and neck, hitting the pressure points to give back her ability to move. Shampoo remained laying on the ground however, unable to feel anything.

"Think long and hard, child," Cologne said. "You are young, and have many years ahead of you with challenges far greater than this. Show me you can learn. Prove to me you're ready."

Cologne waited a moment for anything Shampoo might say or do. When the girl did nothing, she hopped back towards their home, leaving Shampoo behind in tears.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

By the time Ranma returned to the Tendo household night had already fallen on Nerima. She saw her parents in the family room, along with Soun, but no sign of Akane. Not wishing to attract their attention, Ranma slipped into the kitchen where Kasumi was washing some dishes.

"Oh, hello Ranma. You missed dinner," Kasumi said when she saw her enter. "I left you some food in the fridge."

"Thanks, Kasumi," Ranma said, but her mind as not on food. "Is Akane in her room?"

"She has been since before dinner," Kasumi said sadly.

"I see..." Ranma felt her guilt swelling.

"Ranma," Kasumi stopped washing the dishes. "I know Akane talked to you about everything. She told me before running to her room."

Ranma found she couldn't say anything, so she just listened.

"I was there the entire time," Kasumi explained. "I want you to understand that what she did was what she wanted. No one pressured her into it."

"I know that now," Ranma said. "The old ghoul explained everything to me."

"Ah, Akane had mentioned that's where you ran off to."

"I figured she had been tricked, or something," Ranma admitted. "Boy, was I wrong."

"It's okay, Ranma," Kasumi said with an understanding smile. "Something like this doesn't happen to everyone. Just don't let it sit for too long. Akane's waiting for you to come back."

"She is?"

Kasumi nodded. "She's worried about you."

"Oh..." Ranma couldn't hide her guilt from Kasumi.

"Ranma, I know things haven't been easy for you two," she said in her motherly tone. "Akane doesn't want you to treat her differently because of what she did."

"I know," Ranma said with a sigh. He was tired just from wrestling with that thought for so long.

Kasumi could see the internal struggle that was consuming Ranma's energy. She'd seen that same look on her and Akane far too many times to keep count anymore. Sighing, she felt an overbearing need to intervene.

"Ranma... this may be selfish, but I'd like to ask for a favor," Kasumi suddenly put her hand on Ranma's shoulder.

Ranma looked up at the eldest Tendo. Kasumi had not once ever asked her for a favor before. Sure, she'd ask her to deliver or pick up something, but this sounded like a real personal request. Ranma would oblige, of course. It was impossible to say no to Kasumi.

"What is it?" Ranma asked.

"When you see her, don't think about what's been done," Kasumi said, almost pleading. "Just listen to your heart."

Ranma couldn't help but chuckle to herself when she heard Kasumi's request. Even though she was only three years older, Kasumi was every bit the mother she had dreamed of during those long years on the road with her pops.

"I plan to," Ranma said and started heating a kettle of water.

"Ranma?" Kasumi asked, wondering what the water was for. She knew what would happen if Ranma used it on herself.

"I've given this a lot of thought, Kasumi. This is the way it has to be," she said.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive," Ranma said before taking the kettle.

Kasumi wasn't sure exactly what Ranma was planning, but she had learned to trust him to not be too outright stupid. Ranma seemed to not be preparing for a fight, so she let it go.

"Good luck," she said.

"Thanks."

Ranma filled a thermos with the hot water and another with cold water. She took the two thermoses, along with a towel, and left the kitchen through the window. A couple quick hops and she was looking through Akane's window from the roof above.

Akane was no longer in her gi, having changed into her yellow pajamas. She was sobbing at her desk with several books and notebooks scattered around her. She must have been at it for some time, Ranma though. Her light hadn't even been turned on, leaving only the moon to illuminate her room through the window.

Ranma was really hoping she would have stopped crying by now. This was already going to be hard enough. Preparing herself, she gently tapped on the window with her finger.

Akane looked up from her desk and wiped her eyes. When she saw Ranma, she opened the window.

Ranma scooped up her two thermoses and the towel before hopping down through the window. She shut the window behind her and barely had enough time to put down her things before Akane gave her a bear hug.

"Ranma!" she sobbed.

"Akane," Ranma returned the hug. She was a bit surprised by Akane's lack of hesitation to hug her.

Akane pulled back from the hug and started to speak, "Ranma, I..."

"Shshshshsh..." Ranma hushed her with a finger to her lips. "It's okay."

Akane sniffed back her tears and let Ranma to move her a step back so they had more room around them. Once there was space, she felt Ranma gently pushing on her shoulders, so she sat down on her knees with her.

Ranma took Akane's hands in hers and thought about what to say. As usual, she hadn't thought of any grand master plan. She only knew what she wanted to find out. Before any of that could happen though, she needed to swallow her pride.

"I owe you an apology," she said.

"What?" Akane asked.

"For running off like that," Ranma explained. "I shouldn't have done that."

"Ranma, it's okay," Akane sniffed. "I don't blame you."

"I'm still sorry," Ranma insisted. "You were being serious, and I just freaked out."

"Ranma..."

"Cologne told me everything," Ranma cut her off quickly. She wanted to get everything out while she could. "I know everything about the potion."

Akane waited for Ranma to continue. If Ranma knew everything, there was no reason for her to say anything. She simply held her breath, anticipating what Ranma had to say.

Ranma ran her thumbs over Akane's hands. Her skin was warm and smooth, to her touch, unlike anything she'd felt before. Her hands were delicate as she held them with her own.

Ranma gazed on Akane's innocent face. Gone was the rage that she usually wore on it, replaced by something so pure, Ranma felt like she was looking at her for the first time through new eyes.

Perhaps, this was the start of something new, Ranma thought.

"Akane... you said we were even," Ranma spoke softly.

"Yes, Ranma," Akane said back as softly. "You don't have to do anything in return."

Ranma heard the truth in Akane's voice. She really did mean it. Akane had given her life for her with no expectations of receiving anything in return.

Ranma looked into Akane's eyes, their brown pools glistening in the moonlight. Her face showed the faintest pink in the silver light, making her appear as if she was glowing. She was beautiful, this girl she didn't deserve. Ranma had done nothing deserve the gift she had received.

Maybe Akane didn't hold Ranma to a life debt. Maybe she really wasn't expected to do or give anything. This freed Ranma from the weight she had carried all the way back home from the Nekohoten. She knew now that she could be completely truthful.

Ranma let go of Akane's hands and grabbed the items from behind her. She made note of which thermos was warm and put the other one down with the towel.

Akane watched Ranma curiously.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"What I should have done three days ago," Ranma said, and poured the hot water on her head.

Akane watched as Ranma transformed back into his male form. Her heart stopped in fear as her eyes took in the image she had longed to see, but knew she couldn't, because it wasn't safe.

"Ranma, what..."

"Shh..." Ranma quieted her with a finger to her lips.

Ranma dried his face with the towel and looked into Akane's eyes. He knew his time was short, so he felt none of the anxiety that usually crushed him in situations like this. He had to do it now, while he could.

Ranma wrapped an arm around Akane's waist and pulled her to him. He cradled the back of her head with his other hand and drew her in for a kiss.

Akane was shocked when Ranma pulled her in and she felt his lips touch hers. There had been no hesitation, or awkwardness, only confidence.

Akane lost herself to the kiss just as quickly and returned it in kind. She wrapped her arms around Ranma's neck and ran her hands through his hair.

Ranma's lips were soft and gentle while his arms were strong as they held Akane. He sucked on her lower lip with desire while his hands rubbed her head and lower back. He pressed her body against his and felt her warmth spread through him.

Akane moaned ever so slightly as she felt Ranma's warmth spreading through her body. His lips begged her for more, and she responded by deepening the kiss and sucking back. She pressed against him harder, craving more of the warmth he seemed to give her. She'd never felt anything like this before, and didn't want it to stop.

Ranma didn't want it to end either, but he knew it had to. Reluctantly, he ended the kiss and embraced Akane.

Akane let out a disappointed whimper when Ranma ended the kiss. She had been so engrossed in the experience that having it end so suddenly left her feeling abandoned in a way. She longed for the touch of his lips again.

Ranma heard Akane's disappointment when he had pulled his lips back. If only she knew how badly he wanted to oblige her, but he couldn't.

Trying to subdue his own disappointment, Ranma rubbed his face into Akane's hair. Her lavender scent filled his nose, bringing him a sense of peace through the tension in his body. He was able to think just a little better now, and realized it was time to explain himself.

"I don't know if I'll ever be the man you deserve. But I'm going to try," he whispered into her ear.

Akane gasped as she felt Ranma's breath on her neck. She heard his words, and felt her desire grow even more. She wanted more time than this. She felt she deserved more time than this.

"Oh Ranma, I..." Akane started to sob gently as her emotions spilled over.

"It's okay, Akane. I know... I know," Ranma soothed Akane, still whispering in her ear. "I love you too."

Akane felt the words as much as she heard them. They sent sparks through her whole body and left behind a warm tingling. Ranma had said the words she thought she'd never hear again, and this time there was no air of doom. This time, they were real. She felt her own love for him fighting to get out, literally becoming a warmth reaching for Ranma.

Ranma felt the warmth coming from Akane, and then his own reaching back. He'd never experienced such desire before, and yet, it was so peaceful as well. Despite all the anxiety he still felt over this step he had taken hastily, there was an underlying feeling of comfort.

Ranma let go of Akane and looked at her. The light of the moon coming through the window illuminated her peaceful face. She had her eyes closed, and her lips were pursed ever so slightly. Her hand was clasped to her chest, as if holding something valuable. In that hand, the faintest golden light shined.

"Akane..." Ranma said nervously. He wasn't sure what he was seeing, but Akane didn't answer.

Akane was basking in the afterglow of the moment, taking in every sensation her body was experiencing. The gentle touch she could still feel on her lips. Ranma's warmth lingering in her chest, where she held her hand. She would cherish this moment forever. Her most precious memory. She heard him call her name, and opened her eyes slowly.

As Akane's eyes opened, the glow in her hand faded away. Ranma was now looking into her eyes, seeing nothing but happiness. She hadn't noticed what he had seen, Ranma thought, but in seeing how happy she was, he chose not to say anything.

Ranma didn't want to risk being a guy any longer, so he took the other thermos and poured the cold water over himself. Now a girl again, she wiped her face with the towel and smiled.

"You okay?" she asked.

Akane nodded. She was so overwhelmed by how she felt, she couldn't speak.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Akane managed. She had to sniff back a tear or two, but she was managing to speak again. "I'm just... so happy."

Ranma pulled Akane into a hug. She hoped that whatever happened from here, Akane would always be happy. She deserved no less.

Akane sighed as Ranma hugged her. It wasn't the same as when Ranma was a guy, but just knowing who it was, was enough for her.

Ranma ended the hug and held Akane by her shoulders. The moment had passed, and now things were at an awkward point. She needed to go, but didn't exactly know how to break the ice.

"Well, I need to go eat," she said dumbly and stretched. "Need to recover from all that training."

Akane giggled at Ranma's clumsy attempt at smoothly exiting the scene. She understood perfectly how Ranma was feeling. Neither of them had any experience with anything so romantic. Were she in Ranma's place, Akane didn't think she'd have fared any better.

In a way, Ranma's clumsiness made it even better for Akane. It made her realize she wasn't just dreaming. Ranma was still the Ranma she knew.

"You can go," Akane said, still giggling.

"Yep, gotta get that food," Ranma said as she got up and stiffly walked to the door.

"Would you go already?" Akane laughed.

Ranma opened the door and gave a cheeky smile while waving awkwardly.

"Goodnight!" she said.

"Goodnight, Ranma," Akane smiled.

After Ranma closed the door, Akane stood up and sighed. She touched her finger to her lips and replayed the scene again.

Everything had been more perfect than she ever imagined her first kiss would be. It wasn't because of some dare, bet, mind control, or crazy scheme. It was just Ranma, alone, and free from outside burdens. Not only that, but what a kiss it had been.

Akane always imagined it'd be a timid peck, maybe a clumsy smooch at best. Instead of either of those outcomes, Ranma gave her a kiss right out of a movie. It was the stuff all girls in high school dreamed of. He had kissed her with such passion, she wondered if it had been his first time kissing someone, besides those times he was blind-sided by random assailants.

At the thought of Ranma kissing someone in the past, Akane felt her jealousy bubbling, but it was quickly shooed away. Even if it was true, that was then, and this was now. Akane couldn't get angry over something that she thought might have happened in the past. She let that train of thought go and returned to her euphoria.

Akane had always dreamed she would be the one Ranma would choose, but never believed it'd actually be that way. Now that it had happened, she was literally bursting. She wanted to tell someone, but didn't think she could trust anyone, except for Kasumi. She would have to wait until they were alone though, just to be safe.

Alone time was hard to come by in her house though. Akane knew of only one way she could hope to talk to Kasumi uninterrupted. She decided it was worth it to be able to talk freely for once. She just had to wait until she got home from school. The wait was going to be hard for her.

With a contented sigh, Akane fell backwards onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"If P-chan were here, I could tell him everything," Akane said in contemplation. She really wished her pet pig were around whenever she needed to talk the most. She wanted to let it out so badly, she felt like she needed to scream. For once, she couldn't wait for tomorrow.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Later that night, a shadow bounded from roof to roof before arriving on top of the building next to the Tendo household.

Ku skulked along the roof overlooking the large home, looking more like an animal than a man. His chi emanated from his body as a black, smoky mist while he crawled slowly on his hands and feet. He eyed the house with barely contained frustration. He'd gotten so close to what he was after.

He had sensed him. He was sure of it. It only appeared for a couple minutes, but he was sure he had sensed the chi he was looking for, and it was here, at this house he was now looking at.

The chi was gone now, with no trace to be sniffed. Ku looked down on the house, wondering where the man could have gone.

It was strange, Ku thought. The chi he had sensed this time was different than before. While before it was unbridled power, the chi he sensed now was burning with something different, something he hadn't felt before. While he found it strange, he was still sure the chi came from the one he was after.

Ku didn't know how it was his prey was able to hide so well, but he was going to find out. It didn't matter what he did to mask his scent. Ku would find him. He would remain here, watching this house. He would wait for him to come out, patiently, as he always has. He still had time.

Yes, Ku was sure he would get what he had come for. He had traveled too far to give up now, not when the prize was so great. In the thousands of years he's existed, Ku had never sensed such unrelenting power in a mortal. He couldn't wait to feast.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I gave that bitch a cover image. Bitches love cover images! And, were you expecting a lesbian love scene? I know that female Ranma has had most of the spotlight, but this isn't going to be about her and Akane. So, sorry to all you fans out there, but this writer is rather vanilla.

Anyway, this completes the mini love arc I wanted to churn out before Thanksgiving. I hope it doesn't come across as too sudden, or out of character for either Ranma or Akane. It's a pretty thin layer of ice to tip toe over when trying to shape a believable progression for them. Let me know what you think with a review, because I'm most interested in what readers think of that particular element of this chapter.

The next update most likely will not come as quickly, because I'm overdue on an update for my Evangelion fic. So, enjoy your turkey and black Friday shopping wars!

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	10. Rage

Shampoo walked slowly down the streets of Nerima as dawn came. She was in a complete daze over the previous night's events, and still dragged her two chúi behind her.

She hadn't returned to her home that night, not wanting to face her great grandmother. She didn't want to face anyone, and ended up spending the night on the roof of an apartment, crying about her disgrace before falling asleep.

When she awoke that morning, she had hardly felt rested at all, but forced herself up. She wasn't going to just lay around and wallow in self pity. That was why she now wandered the streets, lost in her thoughts.

Shampoo didn't understand what she had done that was so wrong that she was stripped of the power of law. Everything she did was within her rights under her claim on Ranma. It was her great grandmother that was at fault, wasn't it? Shampoo wondered.

No, of course her great grandmother wasn't at fault. Shampoo knew better than that, now that she'd had some time to mull it over. She could not accuse her elder again anyways, since Amazon law forbade issuing a challenge over the same claim twice.

Shampoo continued to wander through the streets aimlessly as her thoughts moved to find a solution. She didn't know what she could do. As an Amazon, she had always been guided by honor, tradition, and law. Now, she had lost two of those three guiding pillars. All she had left was tradition.

Tradition. As Shampoo thought about the only thing she had left, her mind drifted to the root of her loss, Akane Tendo. Tradition had means of dealing with things in life without execution of law.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter X: Rage**

* * *

At the Tendo household, Akane walked down the stairs with more pep than usual. She had just had an amazing night's sleep, and felt like she could have ran forever during her morning jog. She didn't have a care in the world as she looked forward to breakfast.

Akane was humming happily when she joined everyone in the family room. She was surprised that she was the last one to the table, but immediately forgot about it when she saw Ranma eating. She was happy to see him, even if he was a girl still.

"Good morning!" she practically sang.

Ranma stiffened slightly when she heard Akane. She wasn't exactly sure how to behave around her now, since no one else had any idea what had happened between them. Ranma felt like she was suddenly between a rock and a hard place. On one end was an angry Akane over her pretending nothing had changed. On the other end was an angry Akane over her assuming too much. Ranma decided to err on the side of caution, and just play it cool, and let her decide.

"Good morning, Akane," Kasumi greeted her youngest sister. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mm hmm," Akane nodded and sat down next to Ranma. Her smile was practically glowing, which went unnoticed by everyone, save for Nabiki, whom watched her curiously. When she glanced at Ranma, she noted her discomfort, even while eating.

"That's good," Kasumi handed her a bowl of rice. "I was worried, since you never had dinner last night."

"I didn't?" Akane looked up and tapped her cheek to think. "I never noticed..."

"Well, it's just as well. Ranma ate the food I saved for you anyways," Kasumi said.

"There's a surprise" Akane said sarcastically before starting to eat.

"Hey, I was hungry," Ranma said between mouthfuls of rice. "And you said 'goodnight' when I left to go eat."

"How interesting," Nabiki said from the other side of the table. "And just where would this goodnight have taken place? No one saw you last night until you came downstairs to eat," Nabiki gave Ranma a mischievous smile.

Ranma stopped eating, but said nothing. She completely froze and her face began to turn pink.

Nabiki gave a mock gasp. "Saotome! I do believe you're blushing!"

"Cut it out, Nabiki," Akane said, trying to sound annoyed. "Ranma just needed to talk to me about... our exams. He's fallen behind quite a bit!" Akane was already slapping herself in her head for coming up with such a pathetic lie.

"Oh, so you were talking about school, eh, Saotome?" Nabiki asked the girl whom was turning redder. "If nothing else happened, why so flushed?"

Ranma suddenly dropped her bowl and gripped her throat. She began to cough violently, indicating that she had been choking, not blushing.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Akane slapped Ranma on the back a few times until she inhaled sharply.

"Ugh, thanks, Akane," Ranma coughed.

"How disappointing," Nabiki said lazily.

"Next time, just start coughing right away!" Akane scolded her.

Ranma scowled and looked up to glare at Akane. "You didn't have to hit me so hard, tomboy," she grumbled to herself.

"What was that?" Akane asked. She leaned in close to return Ranma's glare.

"Er... Right... of course..." Ranma rubbed her head, as if embarrassed.

"Humph," Akane raised her nose at Ranma and finished her breakfast without speaking again.

Everyone found this to be rather normal behavior for Akane and Ranma, so no further incident occurred, if only to keep the peace. Akane was grateful, since she didn't want her good mood ruined. She wasn't really mad at Ranma the slightest bit. She just wanted to make sure he knew his place.

"Right, well, I'd better get going," Akane announced and got to her feet. "I need to talk to some of my teachers before class about my exam date extension."

"I may as well get going too," Nabiki said and joined her sister. "See ya," she waved to everyone as they left.

"Have a good day, Akane! Goodbye, Nabiki!" Kasumi waved goodbye.

Ranma watched the two girls leave and sighed. She needed to worry about those exams too, but wasn't attending class in order to train and because she couldn't change back into a guy. The curse, of course, wasn't the problem, since everyone at the school knew, unless they were just too stupid to catch on after this long. The issue was in it being too risky for it to be worth it. Still, Ranma couldn't believe she was looking at the girls leaving for school and actually feeling jealous.

While Ranma didn't like school, she also didn't like being cooped up in the house. In fact, she knew it was going to start driving her crazy in a day or two. Just thinking about her horrible luck with hot and cold water though was enough to halt any cavalier ideas of going out for a quick free run.

Happosai also knew about Ranma's plight. After everyone had found out about her late night escapade to the Nekohoten, she received quite the scolding, and the reality of having to stay in the grounds of the house was made clear.

This of course, only meant one thing to Happosai. He would be free of Ranma's meddling for a while. With an evil smile, he got to his feet.

"Well, I'm off to do some training," he said, almost grinning.

Ranma nearly snapped her chopsticks from how tense she had become at Happosai's announcement. His idea of training really meant he was going on a panty raid, and this time Ranma couldn't stop him.

"Well, my boy, eat up," Happosai said as he chuckled at Ranma's tense expression. "I'll be back to continue your training!" he called as he hopped over the koi pond and then the wall of the house. Ranma's eye began to twitch slightly as she forced herself to remain behind.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

"Okay, what was that all about?" Nabiki asked as the two walked to school.

"What was what about?" Akane asked.

"Please, Akane," Nabiki scoffed. "Ranma asking about school? I'd sooner believe he finally grew a pair and laid one on you," she pointed her finger like a gun to accentuate her point.

Akane suddenly tripped and nearly fell flat on her face. Luckily, she caught herself in time, but couldn't hide her blush at Nabiki's comment.

"Oh my... he did!" Nabiki pointed at Akane's flushed cheeks and gasped. "I was just kidding, but he really did!"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Akane shouted nervously. She quickly looked away to hide her face.

"He totally did!" Nabiki said, excited. She pointed an accusing finger at her sister. If there was one thing about Akane that Nabiki knew, it was that she had the worst poker face ever. "Ranma kissed you!"

"D-don't be silly, Nabiki," Akane insisted, but continued to hide her face from her sister. "R-Ranma? Kissing me?" her voice cracked.

"Oh my god, your voice cracked," Nabiki was nearly giggling. "That is too adorable!"

Akane was feeling dizzy. The accusations were always enough, but Nabiki's behavior was adding another layer of confusion. She'd never seen her sister act so girly. Akane surrendered to Nabiki's attack. She was trapped, so the only option now was damage control.

"Okay, I admit it," Akane said, fist clenched nervously. She then spun her head around to look Nabiki in the eye. "But you can't tell anyone!"

"Aw, but Akane!" Nabiki whined mildly. "This pool's been building for almost a year!"

"Nabiki!" Akane yelled, but not out of anger.

Nabiki saw Akane's panic. She wasn't angry over the prospect of some rumors starting, or anything like that. What Nabiki saw was her sister looking really nervous.

"Alright, how much is my silence worth to you?" Nabiki asked in her business tone.

"Nabiki, please..." Akane pleaded.

Nabiki saw Akane's anxiety turn to something completely new. She had only seen this look on her sister's face a handful of times since their mother died. It was the look of genuine happiness, like she wanted whatever this was to last, afraid it would break, because it was so fragile. Nabiki cursed at herself. Not even she could be that cruel.

"Alright, Akane, I'll keep quiet," she said.

"Really?" Akane perked up.

"Yes, you have my word," she said, holding up her hand as if she was swearing in at court.

"Thank you, Nabiki!" Akane said, relieved.

"Besides... I'm sure teasing Ranma about this will more than make up for this lost opportunity," Nabiki mused.

"Oh, you are just too much," Akane threw her hands up and resumed walking.

Nabiki laughed. "So, what brought this on?" Nabiki asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, Akane," Nabiki said. "Ranma kissing you is pretty big."

"Oh well... That's between me and Ranma," Akane said. She wasn't ready to tell anyone the truth about what happened the past two days.

"Akane, you didn't..." Nabiki gave a suggestive look.

"What? No way! I did no such thing!" Akane yelled and shook her head rapidly. She didn't know what Nabiki was thinking, but she knew it wasn't good.

Nabiki laughed as she followed her sister down the street. In truth, she was happy Ranma finally made a move on her younger sister. As entertaining, and profitable, as the past year had been, Nabiki was glad things were starting to work out, if only a little. It was nice to be able to do some innocent teasing for once.

As with anything involving Ranma, however, trouble followed anything good that came their way. When the sisters turned a corner, they were confronted by a rather disheveled looking Shampoo.

"Er, hey, Shampoo," Akane said nervously. She had been fearing this encounter.

"What's her deal?" Nabiki asked. She'd never seen Shampoo look so out of sorts before.

Akane was quiet as Shampoo stepped towards them. She looked like she may have been crying, but showed no tears now. Her eyes looked devoid of any emotion at all, but it was the presence of her chúi that really worried Akane.

Shampoo walked numbly towards Akane, the source of her disgrace. All she could think of was her stripping of power, her right to Ranma refused by her elder, and great grandmother. She could no longer execute the law, and claim Ranma as her airen, and it was all because of what this girl had done. This girl, Akane Tendo, had stolen everything from her.

There was only one solution that came to Shampoo's mind. Tradition demanded action. She raised her chúi and focused her eyes into a fierce glare.

"I Kill!" she cried and swung at Akane.

Akane quickly pushed Nabiki out of the way and ducked under Shampoo's attack. She never thought that Shampoo would take everything well, but she wasn't quite expecting this either.

Shampoo was absolutely livid as she attacked Akane. She swung her two chúi violently, cracking walls, the sidewalk, street poles, and everything else she struck as Akane avoided her.

"Shampoo kill!" she growled.

Akane dodged Shampoo's attacks, but couldn't get in any of her own. Her school clothes were too restricting for combat, so she was forced to flee from the faster girl.

"Shampoo, what's wrong with you?" Akane asked, hoping she could reason with her.

"Shampoo kill Akane!" Shampoo replied, like an animal.

Akane yelped and jumped over Shampoo, holding down her dress as she landed. There was no way she could defeat a calm Shampoo, let alone a berserk one. She didn't know what to do.

Nabiki watched Shampoo assault her sister in complete fear of what was happening. She'd never ever seen Shampoo so enraged, not even when she first arrived to Japan to fulfill her kiss of death on Ranma. Back then, she was cold, determined, and lethal, but still controlled. This was uncontrolled rage that turned Shampoo into a destructive force.

"Akane doesn't stand a chance," Nabiki said. She didn't know what to do. She knew it'd take too long to run and get Ranma when something appeared to give her a glimmer of hope.

"Ukyo!" Nabiki yelled to the girl in a boy's uniform passing by. Despite Ukyo wanting to take Ranma all to herself, Nabiki knew her good nature would come through in a situation like this.

Ukyo looked to where she had heard her name being called and saw Nabiki running to her.

"Nabiki?" Ukyo said, surprised at who was calling to her.

Nabiki reached Ukyo, panting for breath. She really needed to work out more. "Ukyo, I need your help... it's... Akane," she panted.

"Akane? What about her?" Ukyo asked and then looked up as the sound of a wall exploding caught her attention. "What the hell's going on?"

"Akane's in trouble," Nabiki said. "Shampoo's gone completely nuts!"

"What? Shampoo?" Ukyo watched as another plume of smoke appeared along with the sound of a wall crumbling.

Whatever was going on, it looked bad. Ukyo pulled the giant battle spatula from her back and tossed Nabiki her bag. She said, "hold this for me," and ran to where the explosions were coming from.

Nabiki followed behind Ukyo, carrying her book bag in her arms. She had to make sure she knew Akane was okay.

Ukyo rounded the corner and saw Akane stumbling to the ground. She looked unhurt, but was panting for breath. Shampoo landed just behind her and had a crazed look in her eyes. Ukyo couldn't remember ever seeing anyone look that blood thirsty before. It sent chills down her spine. Before she could make sense of things, however, she saw Shampoo prepare to swing, and quickly leapt at her with her battle spatula.

Akane rolled onto her back to see Shampoo raising her chúi to crush her. She couldn't escape this one. She raised her arm to hopefully block the attack and closed her eyes, when the sound of metal clanging rang in her ears.

Akane opened her eyes to see Ukyo blocking Shampoo's chúi with her giant spatula. She didn't know where she had come from, but was thankful for the help.

"What the hell is the matter with you, Shampoo?" Ukyo asked. She knew the Chinese girl could be rather aggressive with her claim on Ranma, but this was crazy.

Shampoo pulled her chúi back and swung it sideways at Ukyo. She was annoyed by the interference.

Ukyo had to jump back to avoid the swing, but stepped back in right away to block Shampoo's second attempt to crush Akane. This time, she didn't bother talking and heaved Shampoo into the air with an upward swing from her spatula.

Shampoo flipped in the air and landed on a wall next to where she had been standing. She looked down at Ukyo and growled her frustration.

"Spatula girl no interfere!" she yelled.

"Just what the hell is this all about?" Ukyo demanded.

"Shampoo no warn again," Shampoo glared and clenched her chúi tightly. "Leave now, or die!"

"You can't be serious," Ukyo exclaimed.

Shampoo didn't wait another second and dove down at Ukyo with her chúi pulled back to strike.

"Oh crap! She's serious!" Ukyo exclaimed in shock and raised her spatula to block.

Shampoo swing her right chúi at Ukyo's head, but was blocked by the battle spatula. Ukyo grunted as the power behind Shampoo's attack sent vibrations through her arms. Part of her was regretting getting involved, but she didn't want to think about what would happen if Akane was killed by Shampoo. While Ranma hadn't made it clear how he felt about anyone, Ukyo knew he still cared for Akane, and that meant dire consequences if she was harmed, let alone killed. She had no desire to see that can opened.

Akane got to her feet while Ukyo deflected Shampoo's attack. She didn't have a weapon, so she wasn't sure what to do. She couldn't just leave Ukyo though, when she had saved her.

Shampoo sprang off of Ukyo's spatula and back flipped into a jump kick at Akane. Akane dodged to the side, and threw her own kick, which Shampoo blocked with her chúi. Akane followed with several punches, but Shampoo was too fast for her, dodging them all easily.

Shampoo danced around Akane's punches and returned them in kind. She released a flurry of quick strikes that forced Akane to the defensive. Shampoo attacked with all of her speed, aiming to wear down Akane until she had an opening. Before she got one, however, she sensed incoming danger and jumped to avoid a trio of mini spatulas that had been thrown at her.

Ukyo still didn't have the slightest clue what had gotten into Shampoo, but she was clearly hell bent on killing Akane. All thoughts of using this opportunity to help her position against her rivals for Ranma's affections were gone, replaced by her instincts to survive, and stop this crazed girl.

Ukyo followed her mini spatulas and swung for Shampoo, but the Amazon was prepared with her own weapons. Chúi met battle spatula as the two girls clashed violently. Shampoo was fast with her twin weapons, but Ukyo had mastered constant spins and flowing strikes to defend against multiple attacks.

Were it a matter of armed combat, Ukyo may have been Shampoo's equal. Unlike Shampoo, however, Ukyo was not trained in unarmed combat at all. Shampoo knew this, and sent the girl staggering backwards with a spin kick between two well planned chúi swings.

Ukyo caught Shampoo's kick in the stomach and fell back. While it wasn't the hardest hit she'd taken, it still hurt like crazy. This moment of pain was just enough to slow her down too. Ukyo missed blocking Shampoo's next attack, and lost her grip on her spatula.

With Ukyo disarmed, Shampoo batted her aside and rushed at Akane. She would deal with the spatula girl later. Now, unchallenged, Shampoo let her rage absorb her at the sight of Akane.

"I Kill!" she cried, more than a little psychotic.

Akane retreated and dodged as best she could. There was nothing she could do, nowhere she could go. Shampoo's attacks were relentless.

Shampoo was lost in her thoughts of her disgrace as she viciously attacked Akane. Maybe she couldn't stake her claim on Ranma, but she could still kill the obstacles in her life. The fastest way to honor from disgrace was to be blooded, after all.

Akane was starting to panic. Her arms were starting to sting from the attacks she was forced to block when she couldn't dodge. Shampoo had always been a strong opponent, but these attacks were brutal compared to what she usually dished out. She knew she couldn't last, and was sure she was finished when a strike from a chúi sent her to the ground.

Ukyo had watched it all as she got up and retrieved her spatula. The barrage Shampoo attacked with had lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to overwhelm her. With Akane down, Shampoo was raising her chúi up to deliver the killing blow.

"Oh, hell no!" Ukyo cursed and flipped over Shampoo. She thrust her spatula down in front of Akane, forming a shield against Shampoo's attack.

Before Shampoo's chúi could strike Ukyo's spatula, Cologne came diving in on her staff. The elder Amazon struck the chúi down into the ground, where it created a crater and still dented the spatula where it hit it.

Ukyo was surprised when Cologne suddenly came diving in and struck Shampoo's chúi with the tip of her staff as it collided with her spatula. She had assumed Cologne would be helping Shampoo, if anything, but she had very clearly come to repel her.

Akane had not seen what had happened. She was staring at Ukyo's spatula that had been shielding her the entire time. The force of the blow dented the metal spatula, letting everyone know just how close Shampoo had gotten to her goal.

Akane was breathing rapidly. She was sure her life had just flashed before her eyes. All she could do was stare at the dent in Ukyo's giant spatula, imagining what would have happened if that had been her body.

Cologne sprang off of Shampoo's chúi and onto the wall next to everyone. "Shampoo!" she yelled.

Shampoo was shocked out of her drunken rage at the sound of Cologne's voice and withdrew her weapons. She hadn't even noticed her great grandmother interfering, she was so enraged at the time. She looked up at her great grandmother.

Akane let Ukyo help her to her feet and said a quick "thank you" before also looking up at the Amazon Elder.

Cologne was perched on the wall beside them, glaring towards Shampoo. Her eyes showed disgust, anger, and warning for the young girl.

"You and I obviously need to have a talk," she said, sounding very displeased with what she had just attempted. "Go home, now!"

Shampoo had to choke back what she wanted to say. She wanted to protest the order, but knew it would do her no good. Now feeling the depression of her status in the Amazon hierarchy, Shampoo wanted to cry. She would not cry, though. She wouldn't show any weakness, especially in front of them.

Regaining her angry glare, Shampoo gave a humph and walked past the two other girls, making sure to bump Akane with her shoulder as she passed.

"Hey, watch it!" Ukyo warned her as she caught Akane against her. She was really starting to get pissed off at Shampoo's behavior.

Cologne watched Shampoo as the girl walked away and shook her head. Her great granddaughter had much to learn before she'd be ready to be free of her punishment. Amazons were supposed to execute with honor and conviction, not wild fury, blinded by emotions.

Cologne had to find a way to make Shampoo understand, so she'd have more control over herself. She was their tribe's greatest young warrior in over a century. If left to her suddenly wild nature, she was a danger to everyone.

It had been the same way when she had given Ranma the kiss of death. The once finely honed weapon became a geyser of unrelenting fury. Shampoo needed to learn to control her base instincts.

Cologne had always seen Shampoo's fiery nature. She blamed herself for letting it go untamed for so long. She had hoped it was simply part of her coming of age, and that time would take care of her. She had a lot to do, to help Shampoo, but for now, she had to make sure the current situation ended at this street corner.

"Akane, are you alright?" she asked from where she was perched on her staff.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Akane answered.

Cologne nodded and hopped down from the wall so she could address her more directly.

"I must apologize for Shampoo's behavior," Cologne said, which surprised the two girls. "She is... not well."

"You call that 'not well'?" Ukyo asked, obviously astonished by the explanation. "She was completely crazy!"

"Ukyo, it's okay, no one was hurt," Akane said, trying to diffuse the situation. She knew this had to do with what happened with Ranma, and didn't want this subject lingering any longer.

"Okay? Have you gone nuts too?" Ukyo asked. "She almost took your head off!"

"Ukyo is right," Cologne sighed. "What happened is not alright."

Nabiki had joined them from where she had been watching, and was now looking at the elder with the other two girls.

Cologne took a moment to think about what to say, how to explain everything. She would not bring Shampoo further shame by explaining exactly what had been done to her in accordance to their laws. But if there was to be any understanding, and hope for forgiveness, Cologne knew she needed at least some kind of explanation.

"Shampoo is not in her right mind right now," Cologne admitted. "She is burdened by the demands my tribe makes on her life. As my heir, she is held to an incredible standard that she is devoted to meeting."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with her freaking out all of a sudden?" Nabiki asked. "She tried to kill my sister!"

"I can't go into details," Cologne said, "but I will tell you that part of the problem is that Shampoo always looks for the simplest solution to solving matters of honor and law. This has left her untrained in many ways, and I blame myself for letting it go on for so long."

"So you're saying Shampoo's solution to some Amazon problem is to off Akane?" Nabiki asked.

"I can only guess at Shampoo's motives for what she tried to do, but it would make sense," Cologne answered.

"So what's stopping her from trying again?" Ukyo asked. "I'm surprised she stopped at all."

"Just leave Shampoo to me," Cologne said. "I am her elder. She will listen to what I have to say."

"Do you really think she'll listen?" Akane asked. She knew more about what was going on than the other two did, which probably made her more skeptical.

"She'll have to," Cologne said, eyes narrowing.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

After the fight with Shampoo, the girls had to rush to make it to school in time. Once they arrived, Akane had promised Ukyo she'd talk to her at lunch. She spent the entire morning worrying about what she was going to say to her sometimes friend, all times rival. When the bell rang for lunch, she had made no progress on a plan.

"So, what gives?" Ukyo asked as she sat down with Akane at a secluded corner. She started up her mini grill while Akane pulled out her bento. "That was pretty random, even for Shampoo."

Akane sighed when she tried to think about it. She really had no idea what the exact reason was. She assumed it had to do with Cologne giving her the potion, but for Shampoo to react by trying to kill her was a little unbelievable.

"I honestly don't know," she said. "Cologne made it sound like it had something to do with Amazon law."

"And you have no idea what that could mean?"

"Nope, not a clue," Akane said with an almost blank expression.

"You don't suppose it has something to do with Ranma?" Ukyo was curious.

Akane sighed. Of course it had to do with Ranma. Anything Shampoo did involved Ranma. What would bring her to kill though, was beyond her. Shampoo hadn't showed any signs of that way of thinking since coming back from China with her curse. Although, Akane did wonder if it was possible recent events convinced Shampoo to fulfill past declarations.

"I wouldn't put it past her," Akane muttered. "She did give me the kiss of death, a long time ago, because of her claim on him."

"The kiss of death?"

"Yeah, some Amazon law thing," Akane groaned. "Basically, she's got a death warrant on me, but she's never actually tried to go through with it, until now."

"Wow... that sounds pretty serious," Ukyo said as she tried to imagine what it'd be like to have a death warrant.

"Honestly, I've never given it much thought," Akane admitted. "Shampoo's always been more interested in her claim on Ranma than her promise to kill me."

"Alright, well... let's assume that this is because of the kiss of death," Ukyo tapped her finger on her chin to try to form the puzzle in her head. "Why go through with it now?"

Akane was uncomfortably silent. She didn't know how she could possibly answer that question without explaining about the potion.

Ukyo watched Akane closely. She saw that look on her face and could tell she wasn't telling her something. Akane did know something about what was going on with Shampoo. Ukyo was sure of it. Why she wouldn't tell her though, is what made her curious.

"Akane, what aren't you telling me?" she asked.

Akane was quiet for a second. "It's complicated," she said.

"When has it not been?" Ukyo asked, half joking. Ever since she'd come to Nerima to seek revenge, Ukyo's experienced complications she's never imagined before. Her situation with Ranma alone was complicated enough even before you factored in Akane or Shampoo, and that was only half of the story.

Akane couldn't agree more. She had always thought her life was complicated even before Ranma showed up. Now, her life was utter chaos at times. Before, Akane really detested it, but last night with Ranma made her forget about everything else. That made it all worth it. Just thinking about it made her tingle a little, and even forget about Shampoo's attempt on her life.

"Well, I won't try to force it out of you," Ukyo said when Akane didn't speak. She flipped her okonomiyaki on the grill and poured some sauce over it before putting it on a plate to eat.

Akane remained silent.

"How is Ranma, by the way?" Ukyo asked, not wanting to continue the discussion of murder in the name of law. The idea was a bit unnerving for her resolve in challenging Shampoo for Ranma. "I assume he's better now, since you're back in school?"

It really aggravated Ukyo that Akane had been able to stay with Ranma the whole time while she was forced to stay away. While she had tried to insist on her rights as Ranma's fiancé, his mother was insisted, and quite convincing in her argument for peace. Ukyo hated it, but she couldn't hope to win Ranma's heart if she turned his parents against her.

"Yeah, he's out of the hospital," Akane admitted. "But he can't return to school, and probably won't for the rest of this year."

"You mean the last two days," Ukyo reminded her. They were just two days away from finals and summer break.

"Yeah... the teachers are going to let him take his exams later though, since he was in the hospital."

"So... if Ranma's better... can I... see him?" Ukyo asked. She was twiddling her thumbs nervously.

Akane felt a mixture of feelings over the question. She had always been jealous of the closeness Ranma and Ukyo shared. Even after last night, Akane still felt that jealousy burning in her stomach. She felt she could trust Ranma, since he never really did show anything to imply he was affectionate for Ukyo, but she still didn't like thinking about them being alone together. Ukyo had proven to be just as conniving as Shampoo when she really wanted to be.

It also didn't help that Ukyo wasn't hiding her hopes for the encounter. She clearly had more than just a friendly talk to catch up. Just thinking about what Ukyo may be planning was enough to make Akane want to break something.

On the other hand, Akane didn't think keeping Ukyo away would make things any better, and she had just saved her from Shampoo. She felt Ukyo earned at least some measure of trust by now. She just wasn't sure if it was a good idea for Ranma to go to her restaurant.

"I don't know... we sort of all agreed it was best that he doesn't leave the house, to avoid the risk of running into hot water," Akane said.

"He doesn't need to come see me," Ukyo exclaimed. "I can come over to see him!"

Akane had thought of that already. She knew it was the best idea, but she didn't want Ukyo coming over tonight, not when she was planning to talk to Kasumi about the kiss she had shared with Ranma. Ukyo walking in on that discussion would be a complete disaster.

"Of course you can come over," Akane said, "but let me talk to Ranma about it first."

"Huh? Why?" Ukyo asked. "Is there something I should know about?"

"A lot has happened," Akane sighed. "I just want to make sure Ranma is okay with seeing people right now. He's pretty absorbed in his training."

"Oh..." Ukyo believed that, sort of. She was suspicious that there was more to it, but didn't want to jeopardize her chance at seeing Ranma by prying.

"I'm sure Ranma would be more than happy to see you," Akane admitted, with the tiniest pinch of pain in her chest. "I'll let you know tomorrow."

"Okay, thanks, Akane," Ukyo smiled.

Akane smiled back. "Thanks for this morning, by the way," she said. "I don't think I'd be here right now if you hadn't helped."

"Heh, don't mention it," Ukyo said. She really didn't want to remember that fight. Shampoo was just too bone chilling when she was attacking them.

"No, I really mean it," Akane insisted. "You stuck your neck out for me."

"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?" Ukyo gave an earnest smile.

Akane returned the smile. "Right," she said. She just hoped when this was all over Ukyo would still be willing to be her friend.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

At the Nekohoten, Cologne was giving her great granddaughter a stern look. She was disgusted with Shampoo's behavior, both as her family, and as her elder. Her actions did more than embarrass just herself, and only proved that Cologne had been right in choosing her punishment.

Shampoo was sitting in a chair with her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes were as angry as ever as she stared forward, not meeting her great grandmother's gaze.

"Shampoo. Just what were you thinking attacking Akane and Ukyo like that?" Cologne asked. "I forbade you to exercise your claim on Ranma!"

"Shampoo not making claim on Ranma," she answered. "Shampoo kill source of disgrace!"

Cologne shook her head sadly. "That is not our way," she said. "We don't attack people like common hoodlums!"

"Is tradition!" Shampoo yelled. "Shampoo have no right of law, but still have right of tradition!"

"What? Shampoo has no right of law? What is this?" Mousse asked as he poked his head into the room from the kitchen.

At Mousse's arrival, Shampoo suddenly became pale and hid her face from him.

Cologne knew how Shampoo would feel once another Amazon found out. She only hoped her heir would learn her lessons with Mousse being the only other member of their tribe to ever know.

"Mousse, please leave us some privacy," Cologne asked.

Mousse looked at Shampoo keeping her face averted from him. He couldn't believe she had received such a disgrace, but her shame confirmed it.

"Shampoo..." Mousse wanted to comfort her, but knew it was best that he left. This was a private matter, and interference would only make things worse for everyone involved. He walked past her and left the restaurant.

Shampoo was nearly crying as Mousse left. Until now, her disgrace hadn't been known to anyone else in the tribe. Now that it was no longer private, her shame hit her hard.

"I know you are in pain, child," Cologne spoke softly. "It is better that you feel shame than anger, however."

"Shampoo only want her honor back," Shampoo sobbed. "Akane..."

"Akane has done nothing to bring you shame," Cologne cut her off. "And neither have I."

"Shampoo no understand... Why you help Akane? Why not Shampoo!"

"There is more at stake here than your claim of marriage," Cologne said, not directly answering the question. "Shampoo, you know I care about you, and your claim on Ranma."

Shampoo wiped her eyes and nodded.

"But it's time you realized something. Your future as an elder is more important than that. I'm not going to be around forever."

"Great grandmother shouldn't say that!" Shampoo yelled, sobbing again.

Cologne shook her head. "Ignoring the truth won't make it go away, child," she said. "It's my duty as elder to make sure you're ready to take over once I'm gone, and that comes before a husband."

Shampoo continued to cry, unable to speak. Her shame was only increased at the reality of how selfish she had been since coming to Japan. How could she ever hope to be a respected elder?

Cologne hopped down from the table she was perched on and over to her great granddaughter. She put her hand on her knee and smiled.

"I don't know how your claim on Ranma will turn out," she admitted. "But greater honor awaits you. In time, you'll understand."

"What can Shampoo do?" she asked.

"Learn from this, child," Cologne said. "Don't despair in dishonor. Overcome it with grace."

Shampoo soaked in her great grandmother's words. She had never considered a graceful approach to honor. She had always taken the fast and vicious approach, because she was their best warrior, and always wanted to assert that fact. She now realized just how much she needed to learn.

"Shampoo understand," she said.

Cologne sensed Shampoo was finally calming down, and gave her a reassuring pat.

"Go and get some rest," she said.

Shampoo nodded and stood up. She quietly walked to the back of their restaurant and upstairs to get some much needed sleep.

Cologne watched her great granddaughter walk up the stairs looking much better than when she had first entered the restaurant. It had been tough to deal with her in such a way, but Cologne knew it had to be done. She had a duty to her people to prepare Shampoo, which involved the toughest lesson of all for an Amazon. Sometimes obtaining true honor means to let go of it first.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Remember when I said the next update would take longer? I lied. I didn't even attempt to work on my Evangelion fic before finishing this chapter.

Nothing too big going on in this one, just some set up for the next few chapters. I did decide to reintroduce Ukyo, as she's been largely ignored. Of all the characters, I find her the hardest to be accurate to. She's got the widest spectrum of behavior. At times she's almost as bad as Shampoo, and at other times she's like a best friend to Ranma and Akane. I tried to strike a healthy middle road in this chapter, and it took quite a few rewrites and tweaks before I was satisfied.

Can you believe this was originally a 4-5 chapter concept? I was really aiming to write a nice, short, simple story when I started this. This chapter actually makes this story as long as the first Harry Potter book, and that kind of scares me. It's grown completely out of control, but I can't seem to help myself.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	11. Calm

"Ranma Saotome! What did you do to my Shampoo!" Mousse demanded as he lashed out at the redhead in the white Chinese vest with his chains.

Ranma dodged the chains and groaned. She was really not in the mood for Mousse's dumb antics right now.

"Just what the hell are you going on about this time?" Ranma asked as she dodged another swing of the chains.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Mousse yelled and swung his chains wildly.

Ranma groaned again and dodged Mousse's attacks around the dojo until hopped back out the open doorway. She was in the middle of training with Happosai when the blind idiot had arrived, shouting his nonsense.

"You will pay for what you've done to her!" Mousse declared and charged after her.

"Yeah, okay, whatever," Ranma replied.

Ranma prepared for Mousse's attack. She ducked under his hidden claws and with one mighty uppercut sent him flying north over the Tendo wall.

"It's about time for you to migrate, duck boy!" Ranma shouted in triumph.

Ranma walked back into the dojo, still a tad irritated. She really wish Mousse got a clue and just left her alone.

Happosai chuckled as his pupil returned. "That was quick," he said and put down his pipe.

"No time to waste," Ranma said and assumed a fighting stance.

Happosai laughed. "I like your attitude!" he said, and unleashed his battle aura.

Ranma breathed in deep and reached into her chi. She felt it swell and let it flow outwards into a brilliant battle aura.

"Let's go, old man," Ranma said.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter XI: Calm**

* * *

Akane let out a heavy sigh when she finally got home that afternoon. What started as a great day had quickly descended into utter chaos, and she was glad to be home from it all. At the thought of what she was hopefully going to do that evening, Akane perked up a bit before walking inside.

"I'm home," she called out.

"Welcome home, Akane," Kasumi greeted her after coming from the kitchen. "How was your day at school?"

"It was... interesting," Akane said.

"Well, better for it to be interesting than boring," Kasumi smiled.

"Sure thing..." Akane laughed nervously at Kasumi's words of wisdom.

Kasumi returned to the kitchen while Akane went upstairs to drop off her things. She had a bit of time before she needed to set her plan in motion, so she decided to change out of her school uniform. She opted for a pink top and white skirt and changed.

Once she was done changing, she glanced at the clock on her desk. The time was about right to go see Kasumi, but she needed to do one last thing.

Akane opened her book bad and pulled out the stack of papers the teachers had given her for Ranma. She couldn't help but pity him. Catching up on this much work and then taking exams was going to be unpleasant.

Akane left her room with the papers and went to the guest room. She knocked, but no one answered, so she let herself in. She took a look around the room once she entered.

Over a year had passed since Ranma and Genma came to live with them, and the room was nearly the same as before their arrival. The only signs of any inhabitants were the rolled up futons and backpacks. Even Mrs. Saotome had only brought minimum requirements when she joined them while their house was being rebuilt.

Akane couldn't help but feel a little sad at the barren surroundings. It was ready to be evacuated at a moment's notice. There was no real evidence they wanted to actually stay.

"Well, I guess I can't blame them with how hectic their lives are," Akane told herself as she walked over to where Ranma's things were.

She set down the papers by his camping pack and accidentally tipped it over when she turned to leave. The pack spilled several items on the floor.

"Oh, darn it," Akane bent down to clean up the items. She didn't want any reason for Ranma to feel like someone was digging through his stuff.

Akane took note of what she was picking up as she shoved the items back into the pack. Most of it was uninteresting, such as clothes and camping medical stuff. She couldn't believe he didn't even have any manga books or something to entertain him when he had traveled for ten years with his father. His life was becoming more tragic and cruel the more she seemed to learn about it.

Akane was just about finished cleaning up when she grabbed a bandana. To her surprise, the bandana was wrapped around something hard, in the shape of a small rectangular box.

"I wonder what this is..." Akane inspected the loosely tied bandana. She felt her curiosity burning at her cheeks. She wanted to know if this could be the one item of interest Ranma owned. The one thing that would indicate he had a life outside of martial arts.

There was guilt underneath that curiosity though. Snooping was not Akane's thing, and to do it to Ranma just seemed low. He had enough people snooping into his life on any given day without her doing it.

Still, Akane found the desire to peek overwhelming her better intentions. What harm could it do, after all? She wouldn't use it against him like Nabiki. But, what if it was something to do with a fiancée? Like, Ukyo? That thought did it for Akane.

Akane's curiosity, paired with her jealousy, was too much for her possible guilt, and she opened the bandana. What she saw, she was unprepared for.

In Akane's hands, was a plastic frame with a photo of Ranma and her, after he had given her a bouquet of roses during their make-up date from so long ago. She was smiling at the roses while Ranma looked... thoughtful, she guessed.

She remembered that day. It was one of the happiest days she'd ever had since Ranma came into her life. It ended one of the worst fights they'd gone through, and even though neither of them ever really apologized, Akane didn't care. She was just happy for the moment.

Akane now felt her guilt stomping back in her chest. She'd managed to let her jealousy get the best of her only to discover Ranma's secret treasure was a photo of her. Akane had never felt so stupid before.

"Ahem..." came a cough from the door.

Akane jumped and fumbled with the photo before finally catching it against her chest. She was busted. If it was Ranma, Akane was sure she was going to cry on the spot.

"Snooping is so unlike you, Akane," Nabiki said.

Akane looked over to see her older sister leaning against the door with her arms crossed. She was giving her a judging look.

"You might want to try closing the door next time," she said, more than a little sarcastic. "Consider that a free tip."

Akane felt a little insulted by her sister. "I wasn't snooping," she said. "And you're one to talk."

"So Ranma's photo of you two just happened to drop out of his backpack and onto the floor, huh?" Nabiki asked, ignoring the jab.

"That's right... Wait. How did you know it was of me and Ranma?"

"Because I'm the person he bought it from," she said and walked forward.

Nabiki took the photo from Akane and held it up to look at it in the light of the room. She remembered that day well, and when Ranma had asked her if she'd spied on them. It had taken him almost five minutes of beating around the bush to finally ask for the photo. Nabiki smirked when she remembered what she had charged him for it.

"Of all the photos... it's the only one he ever asked for," she said and handed the photo back to Akane. "Interesting, isn't it?" she asked and left the room.

Akane watched her sister leave suddenly and was confused. Nabiki taking the photo made sense, because she had been there, and she always spied on them. Selling it to Ranma, okay, that was her usual way of making money. Ranma wanting to buy it, that was a little strange, considering how much he denied ever wanting pictures of her. What really confused her though, was Nabiki's behavior over the whole thing. She seemed a little off. There was no teasing, or vague threats to blackmail her. It was like she was glad the photo had been discovered by her.

Akane put the photo back into the pack nervously. She decided it was best to talk to Nabiki about it before she ever approached Ranma. There'd be no way she could explain her discovering it without him freaking out, even if it was heartwarming that he had it.

Just more things to talk about, Akane thought with a quiet sigh. Most girls got normal guys whose secrets involved dirty magazines in some cliché hiding spot. She got Ranma and secret photos that would be deemed completely normal and sweet, and yet, impossible for him to explain with a straight face.

Akane just set it aside for now and went downstairs to set her plan in motion. She walked through the family room to make sure everyone was there. Soun and Genma were sitting with Nodoka, having tea and enjoying the quiet spring afternoon. Nabiki was at the table making calculations for something, probably bets. The last inhabitants were probably still in the dojo training.

That was everyone, so she went to the kitchen, and sure enough, Kasumi was in there cooking dinner for everyone.

"Hey, Kasumi," Akane said.

"Oh, hello, Akane," Kasumi turned and smiled.

"Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something," she said and nervously rubbed her elbow. Just thinking about what she wanted to talk about made her blush.

"What about?"

"Uh, in private," Akane blushed harder.

"But, no one else is here," Kasumi looked puzzled.

"Well... I was wondering if you'd help me cook dinner tonight," Akane said loudly.

Kasumi looked confused at Akane. "But... I've already..." she looked at the meat she had already marinated and the rice that was cooking.

Akane didn't say anything, but nodded towards the door that lead to the family room.

Kasumi may appear to be innocent and naive to everyone that saw her, but she was still sharp when she needed to be. She immediately caught on to what Akane meant by private.

"Why, of course you can cook dinner tonight, Akane," she said just a little louder than she normally spoke.

There was a sudden clamor of activity that sounded like people tripping over each other. Akane and Kasumi looked through the door to see the four occupants all trying to squeeze into the hallway at the same time.

"Ah ha!" Soun looked back nervously. "Genma and I uh... have a neighborhood meeting to attend! We'll be gone all night!"

"Yup, lots of important business to discuss!" Genma said as the two made a run for the door.

"I uh... have to go check on my house... across town..." Nodoka said and disappeared.

"I just remembered I have a study group tonight!" Nabiki shouted from the door leading out of the house.

On any other day, Akane would have been upset with their hasty departure. Tonight, however, it made her smile. It was too easy.

"So, do you really want to cook?" Kasumi asked.

"Huh? Oh no... you can finish cooking while we talk," Akane said. "I'm gonna go get rid of Happosai."

"Okay," Kasumi said and returned to the kitchen.

Akane walked to the dojo to the familiar sounds of Ranma and Happosai doing battle. They were dedicated to Ranma completing this training, she would give them that. She'd never seen Happosai so focused before.

When Akane got to the open doorway of the dojo, she saw Ranma soaring smoothly through the air while Happosai chased her. Happosai was attacking with strikes from his chi while Ranma dodged and blocked with her own.

"You're not using your senses well enough!" Happosai yelled. "You should be resorting to blocking less!"

Ranma made no reply, and continued to move swiftly through the coming attacks. Her movements were fluid as she dodged without looking. Each jump, spin, lunge, and duck dodged Happosai better than Ranma ever had before. Her chi was glowing pale blue as she moved.

Akane watched the two martial artists and found her breath taken away. Since Ranma had come into her life, she'd witnessed a whole new world of martial arts beyond what she had learned, but nothing quite like this. Ranma was demonstrating a balance between power and grace as she avoided and blocked Happosai's attacks.

Ranma was getting better at avoiding Happosai. She was learning to focus on the presence of chi, and it allowed her to feel the flow of energy and move accordingly to avoid her master's attacks. It was an enthralling feeling, and one that seemed to take over a lot of her conscious thoughts as she became better at it. That is until she saw Akane watching. Her eyes didn't want to leave the girl, and Ranma suddenly felt her concentration break as a hard blow sent her tumbling to the ground.

"Not bad, Ranma," Happosai said as he landed a few feet from where he had struck her down. "But now you need to work on not getting distracted." Happosai looked over to the source of Ranma's distraction and himself became overtaken with a glean in his eye. He always did like it when Akane wore something besides the school uniform.

"Oh, sweet-oh!" he shouted and jumped for Akane's chest.

Happosai was stopped before reaching his prized destination by Akane's fist and Ranma's elbow.

"Who needs to work on not getting distracted?" Ranma asked incredulously.

Happosai rubbed his eyes. "How can you pick on a defenseless old man?" he asked, mocking sadness.

"Oh, give it a rest," Ranma snorted.

"Is it too much to ask for the warm, tender touch of a woman after a hard day's work?" Happosai continued his act.

"How about this girl's warm, tender cooking?" Akane asked.

"Huh" both Ranma and Happosai said together.

"I'll be cooking dinner tonight," Akane announced. "It'll be ready by the time you're done with your training session."

"Whoa! Uh... on second thought, you've earned yourself a break, Ranma!" Happosai blurted out as he jumped back in fear. "I gotta work on my own training! See ya!" He quickly spun around and hopped away before anyone could stop him.

As Happosai made his escape, Ranma stumbled as she tried to follow, but was stopped when Akane grabbed her by her shirt.

"Hey! Don't you run out on me!" Ranma shouted after the fleeing old man. "You damn coward!"

Despite her plan, Akane still found everyone's behavior insulting when it came to her cooking. Their lack of faith in her ability to get better is what hurt the most. One of these days, she was going to show them all.

Ranma shook her fist at the spot in the sky Happosai had finally disappeared. She was going to rain her suffering a hundred times over on him when they next trained.

"If I wasn't stuck here I'd..." Ranma was clenching her fingers as if to choke someone.

"You don't have to worry," Akane cut Ranma off. She didn't feel like taking another insult.

"Huh, what do you mean?" Ranma asked.

Akane sighed. "I'm not cooking," she said with forced control over her temper. "I just wanted to talk to Kasumi in private."

"Oh? What about?" Ranma looked at Akane with impossibly big eyes.

"Girl stuff," Akane answered and turned to leave.

"Girl stuff?" Ranma thought what that could mean. Before coming back from China, she'd had very little experience with the opposite sex. In the past year though, she'd picked up on a few things, but that didn't make any sense, she thought. "Aren't you a bit old to be having your first period now?" she asked.

Akane stopped in her tracks and turned on the girl. "Are you retarded!" she asked.

Ranma gave Akane an innocent look and shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno..." Ranma admitted. "I don't know a whole lot about girl stuff."

Akane's eye was twitching. Was Ranma being serious? She hadn't responded to her with a comeback, so maybe she really was just completely clueless about girl talk. Akane didn't want to answer though, because she just knew Ranma would have something stupid to say about her if she knew what she was going to talk to Kasumi about.

"Say... you don't think... if I'm stuck this way too long..." Ranma suddenly looked really nervous.

"Huh?" Akane hadn't thought of that. Ranma had spent nearly the entire past week as a girl, except for those couple instances when he returned to being a male for a few minutes. Ranma was already past that time he'd been hit with the cat's tongue pressure point. Akane suddenly felt a little uncomfortable for Ranma's situation. She knew if it did happen, Ranma's pride would take it badly.

"I... don't know..." Akane said. "But... I'll help you if it does."

"Uh... okay," Ranma looked away from Akane. She felt humiliated and ashamed at having to discuss such a thing with _his_ fiancée of all the people. While Ranma had become okay with his curse long ago, there were still certain things about it that made deep cuts into his confidence.

Akane saw the look of shame that Ranma wore before she managed to hide her face. She knew how important Ranma's manliness meant to him, and felt sorry for him, even if he was usually a big jerk about it.

"Don't worry about it," Akane tried to cheer Ranma up. "I'm sure with how hard you're training, you won't have to be this way much longer."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Ranma tried to believe her. She wasn't nearly as confident as Akane was trying to be, but she appreciated her support. "Well, you go have your talk. I'm going to train for another hour."

"Okay, don't be late for dinner. Also, I left your school stuff in your room," Akane said and left.

Akane returned to the house and took a deep breath through her nose to take in the silence. It was rare for things to be this peaceful.

After basking in the silence of the house, Akane continued to the kitchen where her sister, Kasumi, was just starting to chop some vegetables.

"Hello, Akane," Kasumi said without even turning to look who had entered the kitchen. "I assume Happosai has gone out for the evening?"

"That's right," Akane said, a little surprised her sister knew it was her.

Akane joined Kasumi in the kitchen and watched her chop the vegetables. She had been so intent on this conversation, but now that she had a chance to finally talk, she found herself really nervous. How does a girl talk to someone about romance without sounding like a complete giddy little girl?

"So, how did it go?" Kasumi asked.

"Uh... what do you mean?"

"Oh, there's no need to be shy, Akane," Kasumi said sweetly. She had finished cutting and was now stirring the vegetables into a pot of soup. "You must have had a good talk with Ranma last night. You're much happier, now, than you were before."

"Er, you could say that," Akane looked at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Her shoulders were actually shaking, she wanted to burst out so badly.

"So, you made up then," Kasumi turned and smiled.

Akane looked into Kasumi's sweet face, and her happiness for them making up and just lost it.

"He kissed me!" she screamed her excitement.

"Oh my," Kasumi put her hand to her lips and gave Akane a happy, if nervous look. "So that's what the warm water was for."

"Oh, Kasumi, he was so romantic," Akane felt dizzy now that she was reliving it in her mind and finally telling someone.

"That's certainly strange for Ranma," Kasumi noted innocently.

Akane either didn't hear Kasumi, or simply ignored her comment.

"He just took me in his arms without a word and kissed me," Akane blushed at the memory. "He was so gentle while we kissed... and he was so warm... it was perfect..." she sighed.

"Oh my, that certainly does sound romantic," Kasumi agreed with her own blush. She always loved watching romance movies, and Akane sounded like she had lived one. Kasumi couldn't help but feel her own swoon over something so moving.

"Oh, Kasumi, what is the matter with me?" Akane suddenly sounded frustrated. "Ever since then I've been... I just..."

Kasumi couldn't help but giggle at her sister's behavior. She always knew that underneath her tough exterior that Akane was just like any other teenage girl. It made her happy to see her finally coming out of her shell.

"Why are you so worried?" Kasumi asked.

"It's just that... I don't know... I can't seem to think straight!" Akane said.

"Oh my, that's so sweet," Kasumi gave a wholesome laugh. "But... Akane..." Kasumi thought about how to word her question, since she didn't want to ruin anything for her younger sister. She couldn't imagine what was going through her mind, but she suspected there was a little more Akane wasn't telling her. "Did anything else happen?" she asked, looking at her with her usual sweet smile.

"Er, no, nothing like that," Akane insisted with a slight flush. "Ranma's not like that... and if he was, I'd have clobbered him!" Akane wasn't sure if she was trying to convince Kasumi or herself. She could still remember how disappointing it was for the moment to end after such a short time, and how badly she wanted more.

"That's not what I meant, but I'm glad you're keeping it appropriate," Kasumi said. "What I mean is... you're glowing, Akane. Was it really just a kiss?" Kasumi couldn't help herself. She felt like a matchmaker learning of the spoils of her hard work. This brought her back to her days in high school gossiping with her friends.

"Uh..." Akane felt her face get really warm. Of course there was more. It wasn't really the kiss at all that had her so excited. It was Ranma's declaration of love. She just wasn't sure if she could tell anyone that much.

"Akane, you can trust me," Kasumi gently nudged her sister.

Akane looked up at her sister through nervous eyes. "You have to promise not to tell anyone," she said.

"Of course, Akane."

Akane took a deep breath to try to calm herself enough to say it. She knew she could trust Kasumi. She always respected people's trust and privacy when they shared secrets. That's why she always went to her when she needed a shoulder to cry on.

"The truth is... after the kiss..." Akane gulped. She was more nervous than she'd ever been before.

Kasumi waited for her sister to speak. She was anxious, but hid it well under her homely smile. Her expectation was growing every second.

"Ranma... said he loved me."

Kasumi dropped the spoon that had been in her hand. "Oh... my..." she whispered with her hand to her lips. She looked at her younger sister. The way she was glowing with her smile, completely free of any defenses. Pure and innocent. It was the Akane she hadn't seen since their mother passed away. She hugged her tightly. "Oh, Akane," she practically squealed. "That's wonderful."

Akane hugged her sister back and let her tears of happiness go. This was the emotional release she had been looking for. After coming to her sister feeling heartbroken so many times, it was amazing to finally express her happiness.

The two separated after a moment. Kasumi was holding Akane by her shoulders while she wiped away the last of her joyful tears. She gave her a more open smile than usual, sharing part of her happiness.

"I'm so happy for you, Akane," she said. "You deserve to be happy."

"Yeah, thank you," Akane sniffed to regain a measure of control. She had to learn to control herself better. She was starting to act like her father.

Kasumi nodded to her sister and returned to cooking their dinner after washing the spoon she had dropped. Akane watched her while thinking about what Kasumi had said, as well as some of her own thoughts over everything. There was a lingering doubt that was gnawing at the back of her head.

"Um, when you say I deserve it... do you suppose Ranma's just doing this because he thinks he owes me?" she asked.

Kasumi stopped stirring the soup again and turned her head a little at hearing the question. She suppressed the sigh she wanted to let out. She wished Akane didn't always over think things like this.

"No, I don't," she said, which she didn't. She wouldn't tell Akane what she and Ranma had discussed before he went up to her room, since it was a private discussion. That discussion told her all she needed to know, though. Ranma did this because he wasn't held to any debt, not the other way around, as Akane was afraid of.

"But... You know how Ranma is with his honor..." Akane pointed out, no longer smiling. "What if..."

"Akane," Kasumi stopped her sister. Her voice was now stern, like a mother about to give her daughter a good talking to. When she spoke, she wasn't mad, though. She was just being assertive to avoid any confusion.

"Why would you think such a thing of Ranma?" she asked.

"Well... there was that one time with Ukyo and that promise over the sauce..." Akane felt her doubts festering like a disease as she remembered that terrible series of events. It was a twisted web of lies, promises, honor, and stubbornness., and all because Ranma had his code of honor over promises.

"Yes, there was," Kasumi remembered. She was glad Akane remembered too. "Do you remember how Ranma acted back then?"

"Of course. He did everything he could to make sure Ukyo wasn't hurt," Akane said, now shaking a little from her growing despair mixing with her jealousy.

"And what else did he do?" Kasumi asked with a perfectly steady voice.

"He... I don't know... he was just his usual stupid self!" Akane said.

"Maybe," Kasumi admitted and turned to look at her sister directly, "but he also did everything he could to get out of that promise, Akane. He wanted out."

Akane considered that, and had to admit, Ranma was pretty adamant about getting out of that situation, although it seemed to be to save his own hide. Despite that, she did feel some of her apprehension lift from her shoulders.

"Well, I guess that's true," she said.

"And it seems to me, Ranma isn't acting like he wants out of anything this time," Kasumi continued.

"Well, yeah, but..."

"Akane, you shouldn't think that way about Ranma," Kasumi now scolded her, although she still spoke gently. "You should know him better than that, by now."

Akane was starting to feel bad for another reason now. She was ashamed for her lack of faith.

"I know that Ranma has done and said a lot of things to make you think this way," Kasumi said. "But do you really think he could be so cruel?"

"Well, no, of course not," she answered. "But... what if it doesn't last?" she asked.

Kasumi sighed. She had no answer for that, since she'd never been in love like that before. She'd forgone the chance when she took responsibility for taking care of the family's needs at home. Any potential romances were immediately stopped of her own choice for the family's sake.

"I have no experience with anything like this, Akane," she said a little sadly. "But, I guess that's why they say there's risks when you're in love. You just have to ask yourself, and listen to your heart, if being with Ranma is what you want."

Akane was silent as she thought about Kasumi's words of wisdom. She respected her sister more than anyone else, even Dr. Tofu. She was the person she looked up to like a mother, and trusted her word, because she never lied, and, by some miracle, seemed to be able to read people through any mask.

So, she trusted her sister, and asked herself that question. Did she want to be with Ranma? Of course. The answer was instant, without any doubts even whispering. She nodded to her sister.

"Then don't worry about anything else," Kasumi said. "Just have a little faith."

Akane sniffed and swallowed her doubts. Kasumi was right. She had to have faith. She was only going to ruin things if she feared the worst at every turn. She hugged her sister again, happy that she had someone she could confide in like this.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ranma leaned against the wall of the dojo with her arms crossed waiting for Akane to join her. She was still wearing her white vest from earlier, not yet having the chance to bathe. Instead, she'd settled for washing her face to at least not feel sticky while she discussed with Akane whatever it was she wanted to talk about. Ranma thought back to when Akane had asked to talk to her during dinner.

Dinner that night had been interesting, to say the least. Kasumi had cooked enough food for all eight of the house's inhabitants, but only three were present. Ranma didn't complain. She was so hungry from draining her chi while training she was almost able to finish it all. Almost.

Besides that, the scene had been rather uncomfortable. Ranma was looking back and forth between the two girls the whole time, wondering what they had talked about. What she saw gave two different stories.

While Kasumi looked happier than usual, Akane looked like she'd run the full gamut of emotions. She had an appreciative smile, but looked like she'd just cried her eyes out and moved like she was nervous about something. On top of that, she was also glowing, which, to Ranma's understanding, meant a girl was happy. Ranma didn't think she'd ever seen anyone like that, least of all Akane.

Ranma had wanted to ask what happened, but something stopped her. Everything was just a bit too weird, even for her, so she decided she'd wait to see if things were more normal tomorrow before opening her mouth. One thing was for sure. 'Girl stuff', as Akane had put it, made even less sense to Ranma now than it did before.

Since Ranma hadn't been talking, the dinner was also the quietest in the history of the house. It wasn't until Akane had mentioned wanting to talk to her that, anyone spoke.

Akane finally arrived to the dojo, clad in her yellow gi. Ranma looked at her curiously. She hadn't mentioned wanting to work out, just that she wanted to talk.

"Yo," Ranma said.

"Hey, Ranma," Akane greeted her. "Thanks for meeting me like this."

"It's no problem," she said. "So, what's up? You want to start learning already?"

"Mmm? Oh... maybe..." Akane hadn't thought of that. She just figured she'd let off some tension with a work out after they talked. Today had been really hard on her. "I actually just wanted to talk to you about some stuff."

"Okay, shoot," Ranma said.

"Well... promise not to over react, like last time."

"Don't worry, I won't," Ranma said and rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious, Ranma!" Akane said loudly. "What I'm about to say might disturb you."

Now, Ranma wasn't sure if she should promise anything.

"Ranma!" Akane shouted when the redhead said nothing.

"Okay! I promise! Geez..." Ranma held up her hands in submission.

"Okay... Today, on the way to school... Shampoo tried to kill me," Akane said bluntly. She didn't think there was any other way to say it.

Ranma's head dropped to the side as she heard what had happened. How exactly was she supposed to not over react to that? Was she supposed to just let something like that go without doing anything? Fat chance in hell, Ranma thought.

"She what!" Ranma shouted, already turning to leave for the Nekohoten.

"Ranma! You promised!" Akane shouted back and held her in place.

"How can you ask me to do nothing?" Ranma asked. "What the hell happened?"

"Relax! I'm clearly alright," Akane stated the obvious. "Ukyo saved me and the helped me fight Shampoo off before Cologne made her stop."

"Ukyo... and the old ghoul?" Ranma couldn't believe it. Now, there was an implausible outcome.

Akane nodded. "Yes, Nabiki got Ukyo to help," she said. "And Cologne was really mad at Shampoo for attacking me. She says something's going on with her and the Amazon tribe that's stressing her out."

"Oh great... more Amazon nonsense," Ranma hissed. "Don't tell me it's more kiss of death crap."

"No, I don't think so," Akane answered. "Cologne wasn't very clear, but she said it involved Shampoo only."

"So, what... I'm supposed to just... stand by?" Ranma looked really uncomfortable with the thought.

"Ranma, you know what this is probably about. I think its best that we let Cologne handle it."

Ranma growled as she struggled with her instinct to lay down the law. She hated to admit it, but Akane was right. Ranma learned the hard way to stay the hell out of Amazon business, twice.

"Alright, fine," she said through clenched teeth.

"Good," Akane said. "The other thing I wanted to talk to you about was Ukyo."

Ranma let herself relax a little before speaking. The last thing she needed was entering a conversation with Akane about another "fiancée" while pissed off.

"What about her?" she asked.

"We talked during lunch today," Akane explained. "She wants to come see you."

Ranma rubbed her forehead and let out a frustrated groan. She just wanted to be left alone until this problem was resolved. The episode with Shampoo already confirmed that stuff was going to be bad between the girls once they found out everything, if that ever happened.

"What did you say when she asked?" Ranma inquired, hoping Akane had said no.

"I said she could come over tomorrow, if it was okay with you," Akane said.

"Bah!" Ranma put her hands on her hips and thought about it. Given the situation, she didn't think Ukyo would try anything funny. Ukyo was a clever one, but not overly foolish. She knew when to let things be, most of the time. Remembering the debacle at their failed wedding was a pretty telling sign of how crazy she could be. Ranma didn't need that right now. "Did she say what she wanted?"

"No, but she looked hopeful," Akane said, trying to bury her jealousy.

"Feh," was all Ranma had to say to that. Ukyo was always hopeful. "She's probably just gonna pester you some more if I say no, huh?"

"Probably," Akane looked down at her feet and held her hands behind her back.

"May as well just get it over with then," Ranma sighed. "She can see me before dinner, after I'm done with training."

"Okay," Akane said. Her jealousy was begging to be let out. She was right, she needed to let off some steam now.

Ranma saw the look on Akane's face and smirked. "Ready to let off some steam now?" she asked.

"You might say that," Akane said as she stretched her arms and legs.

"Well, let's get started then," Ranma said, surprising Akane.

"What? Us?"

"Yeah," Ranma joined her in stretching. "If Shampoo's gonna go on the rampage again, I want you better prepared."

Akane couldn't believe Ranma was actually going to help her train. She was nearly giddy when she got into a ready stance facing the other girl.

"Whoa there," Ranma held out a hand to keep her back. "I never said I'd spar with you!"

"Well, how else am I supposed to get better?" Akane asked, a little annoyed.

"I'm gonna train you in some chi basics," Ranma said.

"Chi basics?" Akane asked. "I thought you were going to wait until you were done learning."

"I can teach you the basics for now," Ranma said. "It'll help you out a lot with your normal martial arts too."

"Uh, okay," Akane couldn't help but blush just a little. She thought what Ranma was doing was sweet of him.

"Alright, now, you've been able to use your chi before when angry," Ranma said. "Emotion can be a fuel for your chi, but using it like that also burns it out really fast, so we're going to avoid that for now."

"Okay, so how do I tap into my chi then?" Akane asked.

"I want you to empty yourself and feel for it in your center," Ranma put her hand to her chest. She got into a loose stance and exhaled slowly. When she was done letting out her breath, her body became enveloped in a faint blue light.

Akane was stunned at how easily Ranma had done it. She had shown no sign of emotion at all.

Ranma let her aura fade and looked at Akane. "Your turn," she said.

Akane nodded and loosened her stance. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly while trying to empty her mind. When her breath was finished, she did another.

Ranma watched Akane closely. Her look was impassive, but her brow wrinkled ever so slightly. It didn't surprise Ranma in the slightest that Akane was getting frustrated so quickly.

"Stay relaxed," Ranma commanded.

"I'm trying," Akane said., brow furrowing more.

"No talking," Ranma warned. He taught as he was taught.

Akane didn't argue any further, and resumed trying to relax.

"Feel for your center."

Akane tried and tried. She could almost feel it. She was sure of it. Something in her heart that pulsed as it beat. She inhaled slowly, closed her eyes, and forgot her frustrations. As she exhaled, she focused on that strange pulse. She could feel it pulse each time her heart echoed in her ears.

"Akane," Ranma said loudly, suddenly breaking her concentration.

"What!" Akane shouted and opened her eyes to glare at Ranma.

For the briefest second, Akane's aura flashed brilliantly around her and faded into nothing. It happened so quickly, she hadn't even seen it happen, but Ranma did and smirked.

"You did it," she said.

"What, I did?" Akane asked, surprised.

"You found your center," Ranma confirmed.

"But... my aura... I didn't," Akane hadn't seen it, or felt it.

"Hey, I never told you how to unleash it once you found it," Ranma laughed.

Akane clenched her hand into a fist and growled at the girl laughing before her. "You jerk!" she yelled.

"Oh, come on, Akane, relax!" Ranma continued to laugh as she waved an unconcerned hand at her. "That's easy to do. Finding your center was the hard part."

"I'll show you hard!" Akane yelled and threw her fist at Ranma.

Ranma ducked under the punch and stuck out her tongue. "Too slow!"

Akane growled and started chasing Ranma around the dojo. Ranma laughed as she avoided her attacks.

"You're forgetting your center!" Ranma taunted her and laughed.

"Shut up!" Akane yelled as she attempted to pummel Ranma. "Don't make fun of me!"

Ranma stopped running. "Hey, I'm not making fun of you!" she protested.

"I said shut up!" Akane yelled louder.

Ranma ducked under the kick sent her way and resumed the dodging around the dojo. Akane chased her with renewed vigor. The energy flowing through her was palpable. Ranma sensed the time was right.

"Find your center," Ranma shouted through the barrage of attacks.

Akane heard Ranma, but did nothing to stop what she was doing. She continued to attack. It helped vent her frustrations. Ranma could tell she wasn't calming down as she sensed her energy rippling violently as she moved. This was going nowhere fast.

"Heh, you'll never hit me if you don't find your center," Ranma taunted her.

Akane responded to Ranma's taunt by letting her temper slip even further. She was now grunting with every punch and kick as she tried to bring Ranma a world of pain.

Ranma was now starting to get a little annoyed with Akane. If she'd just listen to her, they'd be done with this silliness.

"Akane, would you just listen to me, already?" Ranma yelled between her punches.

Akane didn't listen to her, but felt her body tiring. They had been at it for quite some time, and Akane wasn't pacing herself. Ranma could also feel Akane tiring. It was now, or never.

"Find your center!" she yelled.

Akane was tired. She no longer felt the anger and frustration towards Ranma, but she was determined to show him she wasn't helpless. She felt for her center and it appeared with her heart beat. Acting by instinct, she took hold of it, clenched it tightly. She inhaled slowly as she drew her right fist back and exhaled sharply as she snapped it forward.

Ranma saw it as much as she felt it. Akane's chi blazed brightly around her, devoid of emotion. As she punched forward, so did it move with her, electrifying the air as it reached for Ranma.

"That's it," Ranma said to herself and unleashed her aura. She blocked the attack with a quick snap of the back of her hand.

Akane remained in her stance breathing heavily as the air between them cleared. She'd seen the bright flash as their auras collided. The sensation was incredible. Her body felt this warm rush move through her as she attacked with the aura, and then it cooled as if hit by a gentle breeze as she followed through.

Ranma kept her guard up, in case Akane decided to keep going, but could feel how tired she was as her chi slowly faded back into her core. Ranma chuckled to herself. That's pretty much how she had faired that first time she practiced with Happosai, although there was no way she'd ever admit that.

"How does it feel?" Ranma asked.

"Like nothing I've ever experienced before," Akane said.

"It gets better," Ranma said, smirking. "Once you get a handle on it."

"Do you really think I can?" Akane asked as she walked to where Ranma was standing.

"You kidding? With your brute strength, there's sure to be plenty of energy for this kind of thing," Ranma said, thinking she was complimenting her.

Akane glared at Ranma and smacked her shoulder.

"Ow! Hey! That was a compliment!" Ranma rubbed her shoulder.

"You call that a compliment?" Akane yelled.

"Well, yeah! If I wanted to insult you I'd..." Ranma felt Akane's anger spiking her chi and immediately lost her nerve. No way was she running into that mine. "I'd say something stupid, which I won't."

Akane calmed down immediately and turned her nose up to the shorter girl. "Well, you're finally learning," she said.

Ranma grumbled. She had some choice words for Akane, but managed to keep it under wraps. This was a nice side effect of the chi training, Ranma thought. Less trips via Akane Air could only extend her lifespan.

Thinking of her lifespan brought everything spiraling back for Ranma. She'd actually forgotten about it the entire day, and now felt stupid that she'd done so. She really had to stop being this way around Akane.

"Anyways, good work," she said.

"You really mean it?" Akane asked, her eyes glistening with hope.

"Yup," Ranma nodded. "Tomorrow, we can do some real exercises so you can start learning control."

"Oh, thank you Ranma!" Akane exclaimed. She couldn't wait to learn more.

Ranma felt herself blushing at Akane's joy. She wanted to downplay it, act like it wasn't a big deal. At seeing how genuinely happy Akane was though, Ranma crumbled like a house of cards.

"Don't mention it," Ranma said.

The two stood in uncomfortable silence after that. Neither knew what to say, or if they should say anything at all. Ranma was keeping her eyes on the ceiling while Akane watched her feet nervously.

While neither had admitted it yet, things were different between them now. Akane wondered what Ranma thought of everything that was happening. He didn't have someone to confide in like she did with Kasumi.

Ranma was wondering what Akane had talked to Kasumi about. She was the only one in the house that knew what Akane had done. She guessed it had to do with everything that was going on. Still, the way Akane looked during dinner kept her curious. She just wish there was some way she could find out. She knew neither Akane or Kasumi would reveal anything if she asked.

"Well, it's getting late," Ranma said to break the silence. "You go wash up. Let me know when you're done so I can take a cold bath."

"Okay," Akane said and turned to leave the dojo with Ranma following close behind. The shorter girl stayed behind in the family room while Akane continued on to the bathroom.

Ranma sat down on the porch overlooking the koi pond and sighed. It'd been only two days since Akane healed her with the potion, and it was already taking its toll on her brain. With everything else going on, it was leaving Ranma drained.

No one had returned home yet, so the only other person around was Kasumi, whom was reading a book at the table behind Ranma. The older girl had noticed Ranma's exasperated sigh and felt compelled to make sure she was alright.

"How is everything, Ranma?" Kasumi asked.

"Same old," Ranma replied.

"Is something the matter?"

"Mmm... I'm just tired," Ranma lied.

Kasumi could see through Ranma's lie. Normally, she'd let things be, but she felt like she had a personal responsibility as the only other person in the house that knew what was going on. She wanted to make sure that Ranma knew he could come to her about anything involving things with Akane.

"Ranma, you really shouldn't keep things bottled up to yourself," she said.

"What do you mean?" Ranma asked.

"A lot has happened the past week, Ranma. I know you want to prove you're strong, and can handle it, but this involves more than just you. There's no shame in talking about it."

Ranma felt her chest wrench from Kasumi's words. She'd hit the nail on the head. Ranma's mind was a mess because of everything that was going on. Things were always complicated before, but he'd managed to find a balance through it all, until now.

Facing death, and being saved has a way with bringing things to the surface, and there's no going back once that happens. Last time, Ranma had worded things poorly after what happened at Jusendo. He'd said he hadn't said what Akane thought she heard, when he really meant he never said it out loud. That earned him a beating he deserved, in hind sight, but it also managed to take things back to the norm, by the graces of the Gods.

This time, Ranma was in complete of control when he had spoken to Akane, and she was awake. There could be no denials, not that there would be. He regretted nothing, but was confused on where to go now.

Kasumi watched Ranma and waited patiently for her to speak. She didn't want to push too hard for her to open up. If she wasn't ready, she could wait.

Ranma was really struggling with her thoughts now. She decided that she really did need someone, besides Akane, to talk to about it.

"Do you blame me for what Akane did?" Ranma asked without turning to look at Kasumi.

"Not at all, Ranma," Kasumi answered.

"Do you think she blames me?" Ranma now turned to glance at her sideways.

"Oh, Ranma, what makes you think she could feel that way?" Kasumi asked in return.

"I don't know... it's just hard to imagine anyone doing that for me," Ranma admitted.

"If the roles were reversed, would you have done the same for Akane?"

"Of course!" Ranma said without needing to think.

The speed of Ranma's answer brought an unseen smile to Kasumi's lips. "Then why is it so hard to accept that Akane's done it for you?"

"She shouldn't have had to," Ranma said sadly.

Kasumi got up and walked over to sit down next to Ranma. She put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and rubbed it gently.

"But she did, Ranma, and you're going to have to learn to accept that," she said.

Ranma clenched her fists and started to breathe heavily. Accepting it was going to be hard, because she had to first come to terms with how she's treated Akane since they met. The memories she had were not casting things in a good light.

"I didn't deserve it!" she shouted. "I've done nothing but hurt Akane since coming here! Even I can see that! Why did she do it!"

Kasumi squeezed Ranma's shoulder harder to break her out of her rant. She understood where Ranma was coming from. Akane was the same way, keeping things bottled up until it was too much to contain. In this case, Ranma's admittance was a big step in the right direction, even if it was inaccurate.

"I can only promise to be here to listen and help, Ranma," she said. "This is something you're going to have to eventually talk to Akane about."

Ranma relaxed under Kasumi's caring hand and sighed. She was right. As much as Ranma didn't want to, she was going to have to talk to Akane about everything when they got a chance to. Maybe when everything was over with this Ku guy.

"You're probably right. Thanks, Kasumi," Ranma said.

"You're very welcome," Kasumi smiled.

"You seem to be able to handle stuff like this better than me and Akane," Ranma said, wondering at her hidden strength.

"Well, I know what Akane's going through, in a way," Kasumi revealed.

"What do you mean?"

"A long time ago, I made the decision to sacrifice a part of my life in order to help support the family at home. While it's not exactly the same, I can tell that Akane has the same conviction in her decision as I did back then."

Ranma looked at Kasumi a bit surprised by her confession. Ranma never knew what Kasumi was like before their mother died, so it never really occurred to her how much she sacrificed to support the family like she did. The look of gentle sadness was heartbreaking.

"Don't misunderstand me, Ranma," Kasumi said and wiped the sadness from her face. "I'd willingly do it all again, if asked. So, you see, I understand what Akane's doing, and I have faith in her ability to choose for herself, like I did."

Ranma gave Kasumi an appreciative smile. What she said made a lot of sense, Ranma thought. She realized, now, that she shouldn't doubt Akane so much.

"Ranma, I'm finished," Akane suddenly called from down the hall.

"Okay!" Ranma called back.

Ranma got up and stretched some of the tension from her body. She thanked Kasumi one last time before heading upstairs to get a change of clothes and to take a much needed bath. She only wished it could be a hot one.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** New title. Same story. I've decided on something more appropriate for the overall story, and can't honestly remember why I'd chosen the original title in the first place. It probably made sense at the time, but hind sight is 20/20, and it had to go.

Some of you may have noticed an area where I refer to Ranma as "he" even though he's a girl this entire chapter. That section is an internal monologue describing his thoughts, so I figured it was more appropriate that he refer to himself as male. As always, this is something I find hard to figure out when writing a Ranma story.

Lastly, I'd like to thank those who enjoyed the bit of romance I included in chapter 9. My intention is to create an emotionally evocative story at the expense of some of the slapstick that the anime/manga are known for. I'm also trying to avoid having it be all too convenient, as some Akane/Ranma fanfics tend to be.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	12. Flow

Morning in Nerima began as most of its days did. Akane went out for her jog while Ranma gave Genma his usual morning dip in the pond. While Ranma was usually annoyed by her father's morning antics, she was grateful for the return of the routine. It let her know that her life wasn't going completely insane, only mostly.

Truth be told, Ranma hated that her father was so stupid about the morning routine. He knew that she needed more sleep to recoup her chi from the training, but still insisted on his morning medicine. Ranma was just glad he had the common sense to leave her alone while she napped after breakfast.

Kasumi had watched the two Saotomes practice with a contemplative smile. She noticed some of Ranma's frustration had been absent this morning. She was closer to being her usual self.

That was short lived, however, as things progressed to breakfast. Once Akane arrived in her school uniform, their mutual discomfort came back to the surface. Kasumi wasn't surprised though, since they wouldn't have been able to have a talk this soon anyways. She just kept up her usual calm and served breakfast.

Nabiki watched the other two teens with equal interest. Akane's discomfort made sense to her, but Ranma's was a little perplexing. She wondered what exactly was going on between them, and how it managed to slip under her nose. She considered the possibility that she was becoming soft, but quickly chalked it up to being distracted with final exams. She always toned down her usual antics during exam time to ensure her place at Toudai.

Still, the evidence was starting to nip at her curiosity a little too much. The truth was in the details. That is how Nabiki operated. Remembering the conversation she'd had with Akane, she picked out the telling signs.

Akane had denied the kiss at first, which was normal, Nabiki thought. But once she admitted to it, she didn't downplay it. That's what echoed loudly in Nabiki's mind. A more natural response would have been for Akane to say it was because of a dare, or that Ranma was a pervert. Instead, Akane had wanted nothing more than to keep the kiss private, for a reason so important, she'd been teary.

Nabiki wanted to know what could make her sister behave in such a way. She would have to find out what was going on soon.

Neither of her sisters' watchful gazes went unnoticed by Akane. She knew why they were looking at her for their different reasons. Kasumi didn't worry her. She knew just about everything that needed to be known. It was Nabiki that sent a nervous chill to Akane's stomach. She clearly was tipped off by something, with that look in her eye. If that was true, Akane knew it was only a matter of time before she started digging, and Nabiki always found what she dug for.

Akane didn't want her to find out that way, because it would most definitely involve blackmail of some kind, or worse. Swallowing the last of her breakfast with an audible gulp, Akane concluded she needed to meet this head on. She would have to talk to Ranma about it before their evening training session and get him on the same page.

"I'm off," she said and got to her feet and moved to leave the room with Nabiki in tow. "Don't forget about this afternoon, Ranma," she said before leaving the room.

Ranma said nothing, but gulped the food in her mouth loudly. She was already dreading the rest of the day.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter XII: Flow**

* * *

Shampoo awoke to the morning sun shining through her window. She sighed sadly as the second day of her punishment was beginning.

She'd slept straight through the day, afternoon, and night after her failed attempt at reclaiming her honor in the name of tradition. Her great grandmother had been stern with her afterwards, and the talk, along with Mousse learning of her disgrace allowed reality to crush her completely.

Shampoo got out of bed slowly, feeling the weight of her punishment on her. She'd been allowed a day to rest, but she knew her great grandmother wouldn't let her hide any longer. Being in the line of elders, she wasn't permitted to show weakness.

Accepting her fate, Shampoo took her usual work clothes and went to take a bath. The hot water did little to soothe her, but it was refreshing to clean herself after two days.

After she dressed, Shampoo went downstairs. Cologne and Mousse were both busy preparing the restaurant to open for the first time in two days. When they noticed her arrival the air became tense.

Mousse watched Shampoo quietly as he set the tables. He still had no idea what was going on with Shampoo. Cologne hadn't said anything, not that he'd asked. To ask about another Amazon's disgrace was one of the most disrespectful things a member of their tribe could do. Not even Mousse was that foolish when it came to matters with Shampoo.

Cologne didn't even glance at her great granddaughter while she continued to prepare large pots of soup for serving ramen. It wasn't until she joined her in the kitchen when Cologne acknowledged her with a nod.

The air of gloom surrounding Shampoo was easy for her to sense, but she had been expecting that. She imagined things would be this way for some time, but had to give Shampoo a chance to figure things out without her guidance.

Such is the way of the Amazons. Matters of honor must be dealt with alone. As a family member, Cologne could aid Shampoo with guidance and support, but as an elder, she was forced to be merciless in executing the law.

That is why she always stood by while Shampoo faced her trials in life. She had said nothing as her heir went on her honor quest to hunt down and kill Ranma, when they believed him to be a girl. It wasn't until she returned, un-triumphant, that she got involved.

This would be the same way. She'd watch, and wait, while Shampoo faced her disgrace. She would be a silent judge.

Not a single word was said between the three as they got to work setting up for the day's business.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

"So, no more surprises from Shampoo, huh?" Ukyo asked when she met Akane by the front gates of the school

"Nope," Akane answered simply.

"Well, that's a relief," Ukyo said with a smile.

"You're telling me," Akane agreed. "And Ranma said you could see him this afternoon," she answered the question Ukyo obviously wanted to ask.

"Really?" Ukyo asked, excited.

Akane nodded, not trusting herself to keep her cool with words. After taking a second to get under control, she added, "You can come for about an hour before dinner, around five. He should be done with his training by then."

"Okay, that'll work out just great!" Ukyo exclaimed now smiling like a kid in a candy store.

"I'm sure it will," Akane mumbled to herself. She really hated the idea of Ranma being alone with Ukyo. She kept telling herself that she'd agreed to this, but something else inside was screaming that there was no way in Hell she'd share any of his time.

Ukyo didn't notice the comment and continued to beam brightly as they walked through the gates with Nabiki. The older sister had remained a silent observer, wondering at what they were talking about. Whatever it was, Akane didn't seem as pleased as Ukyo, but that was all forgotten as an all too familiar voice came calling.

"Akane Tendo, my love!" Kuno called out. "Free at last from that wretched Ranma Saotome! The will of fate smiles upon us on this very day!"

The three girls looked towards the entrance of the school and saw Kuno, clad in his usual kimono running with a bouquet of roses. His arms were spread as if to receive a hug from a long absent lover.

"Oh man. This is one thing I definitely won't miss next year," Akane groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Kuno's unwanted advances on Akane were as common as green grass to the students of Furinkan High. They'd gotten so used to it that most of them didn't even give a sideways glance to the daily ritual anymore, but this was not an average day.

Akane was glad she'd only have to put up with this one more time after today, but she also knew that meant this stress outlet was also coming to end. That, plus her built up frustrations over Ukyo, combined with her fury when Kuno attempted to hug her. How dare he!

Kuno was making his final bound for Akane when it happened. Akane reached out and punched him in the gut. He reeled over before Akane chopped him on the back, sending him the rest of the way to the ground. Akane then proceeded to stomp on him like a woman gone mad. Everyone around her watched nervously, more for her fury than Kuno's plight. They all knew he could take it, but feared her wrath wouldn't be satisfied when he was done.

Akane was panting heavily by the time she felt her frustrations had been satiated by Kuno's beating. She stood over the edge of the crater she'd created around Kuno's twitching body. That should teach him, she thought.

"Just one more day of this crap," she huffed.

"Mmm... I don't think you'll have to worry about it tomorrow," Ukyo said and poked Kuno's side. The boy twitched, but made no sound. "His time at Furinkan is done."

"Well, all the same to me," Akane grunted. "My only regret is not letting Ranma have the honor of his last beating."

"Eh, I think it's more entertaining when you do it," Ukyo said as she brushed off some dirt from her pants.

"You do tend to have a more dramatic flair," Nabiki added.

"Oh, whatever," Akane huffed and walked into the school.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Much to Akane's relief, the rest of the day at school went by without any excitement. With exams the next day, the commotion over Kuno's beating at the foot of Akane Tendo ended by the time the morning bell rang. Thus, Akane was able to focus on her studies for exams without an distractions, save for the empty seat where Ranma was absent. Every now and then she'd glance at his empty seat and get this strange feeling that she missed him, but that didn't make any sense, since she saw him at home all the time.

The nagging feeling continued as Akane was thinking about Ranma on her walk home. It wasn't that she missed him, but something disturbing was starting to bug her. Thoughts of Ranma as a girl were beginning to trouble her.

At first, Akane scolded herself for thinking about it. She only ever knew Ranma with his curse, so she'd learned to accept it early on. With Ranma being a girl the entire time though, she was starting to feel a little too comfortable. It was like when a friend got a new hair style. At first, it's shocking, and you can't help but look. Within time though, you get used to it, and even forget what they ever looked like before the change.

Of course, Akane could never actually forget what the real Ranma looked like, but she was still troubled by how she was starting to feel. She felt this nagging desire to see Ranma in his natural form whenever he wasn't around. Then, when she saw him as a girl, there was this faint disappointment. It just wasn't the same with Ranma being a girl the whole time.

Akane continued to chastise herself for feeling this way. It wasn't fair to Ranma, since it wasn't his fault. It also wouldn't help him in any way if he ever found out. She'd just have to grin and bear it. Plain and simple.

By the time Akane came to this conclusion, she'd reached the front gate of her home.

"I'm home!" she said as she entered the house.

"Welcome home," Kasumi sang from the kitchen.

Akane slipped off her shoes and walked into the family room. To her surprise, Ranma was at the table with her text books and the stack of papers she'd gotten for her yesterday. Next to her was the backpack she usually used for camping.

"Ranma? What're you doing here?" Akane asked.

"The old goat never came back last night," Ranma said as she flipped the page of the book she was reading. "I figured I'd take the chance to look through this stuff."

Akane thought it was strange that Ranma wanted to do any kind of school work. He absolutely lamented school.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Just dandy," Ranma answered, not sounding convincing at all.

"Ranma..."

"It's almost time, isn't it?" Ranma asked before she could say anything.

"Time for what?"

"Ukyo's coming, right?"

"Oh. Yeah, she is," Akane said, still bothered by it.

Ranma didn't pick up on Akane's discomfort, but had her own going on. It wasn't that Ukyo visiting bothered her, it's just that she was sure to push certain subjects. Ranma didn't feel like dealing with the usual crap right now.

"Well, I'm going to go work out until then," she said and hopped up.

"Okay, I'll send Ukyo your way when she gets here," Akane said.

Ranma started walking towards the dojo when she turned back and noticed Akane gathering up her school things from the table. She was just thinking about how strange that was when the sight of her opening her backpack to put the items away set her to red alert.

"Ah! My bad! I'll put those away!" Ranma hastily grabbed her back pack away from Akane.

"What's the big deal?" Akane asked innocently, although she suddenly remembered why Ranma wouldn't want her opening his backpack.

"It's just... It was rude of me to leave my stuff around like that," Ranma said, trying to sound natural.

"It's never stopped you before," Akane said, putting a little venom into her tone.

"I'm turning a new leaf," Ranma nearly growled back between her teeth.

Ranma reached for the book in Akane's hand, but failed to pull it out when she offered resistance. Ranma tugged on it a couple more times before giving her a puzzled look.

Akane looked back into Ranma's eyes. Since she knew what was in Ranma's backpack, she found his behavior that much stranger. Was he really that afraid of her finding the photo? She wondered.

"What gives?" Ranma asked.

"It's no big deal for me to do this for you," Akane said, stilling holding the book firmly.

"I don't want to trouble you," Ranma replied with a fake smile.

"It's just a silly book," Akane stressed and pulled her hand back harder.

"Exactly, so let me take care of it," Ranma pulled back just as hard.

"I want to do this!" Akane shouted and pulled back with all of her might.

The strength of Akane's pull was enough to trip Ranma's balance. The redhead released the book in shock and tried to stop her fall. It was too late. Ranma clumsily fell on top of Akane, landing rather awkwardly between her legs with their faces an inch apart.

"Oh, dear," Nabiki said from the doorway she'd been watching the exchange from. "You two could at least use a room."

Ranma and Akane both turned dark shades of red. Even when Ranma was a girl, being seen like this was just too embarrassing. Ranma quickly grabbed her book and threw it into her backpack before getting up. She then hoisted her pack over her shoulder and glared at Nabiki.

"We weren't doing nothin!" she spat and stormed out of the room and up the stairs.

Akane propped herself up on her hands, still slightly pink. She looked over at Nabiki, whom gave her a knowing smile.

"My dear, sister..." Nabiki said, baiting her.

"Why is he so worried about me finding that photo?" Akane asked, not caring that her sister was baiting her. She wanted to know, and was in no mood for her usual games.

"Come on, Akane, is it really all that surprising?" Nabiki asked.

"It is to me," Akane said.

"The photo, or Ranma's behavior?"

"Both," Akane admitted.

"Well, I normally charge for such hard to get information..." Nabiki teased.

"Nabiki..." Akane threatened her sister.

"But you're family," Nabiki changed gears. "Let's just say you owe me one, ok?" she gave a chipper smile.

Akane groaned, but didn't bother arguing. Owing Nabiki a favor could either be a good deal, or a major fleecing. She just hoped figuring this out was worth the price.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ranma immediately began to work out vigorously when she finally got to the dojo after dropping her backpack off in the guest room.

There were several reasons for the intensity of the workout. Ranma's energy was reaching new levels now that she'd spent a couple days expelling and replenishing her chi, rather than her muscles. This gave her a much larger pool to work with, even when not using her battle aura.

On the other end were her frustrations over everything. Ukyo would be there soon, and Ranma wanted to vent as much as possible. She'd been edgy all day, since Happosai had been absent for their training. It wasn't the absence that bugged her though. Ranma just had too much time to think over things without the distraction of training.

That was why Ranma had resorted to studying, of all things. While it would have made more sense to work out, Ranma convinced himself that he'd save his energy to be more active in Akane's own training. Thinking of Akane also brought on more frustrations, however.

Ranma wished he had time to actually talk to Akane about everything. That was eating away at him every passing hour. What really got to him though, was how much he wanted to be a guy around her. He knew it was only a matter of time, and it had come. Remaining a girl was now making him feel crazy.

It was fine most of the day, but around Akane, it really burned something inside of him. He'd look at her, and feel all of these emotions moving around in his chest. But he had no desire to do anything with Akane as a girl. Not even hold hands. It even felt hollow to talk to her about things as a girl. He needed to do it in his real body. He also suspected she felt the same way. No, he _feared_ she felt the same way, and that's what was really driving him crazy.

Ranma threw his frustration into several chi strikes from his hands. His chi burned hot from the emotions he fed it, but it did nothing to sooth his mind.

Ranma looked down at his hands. The hands of a small girl. He wished he was normal. He wished he could be free around Akane, but as long as he had the curse, he'd never truly be free of doubt or fear.

Even recent events couldn't end those thoughts. It was all in the details, and while Ranma wasn't as savvy as Nabiki, his heightened senses were what picked up on the subtle differences in Akane's behavior between his male and female forms. There was the slight change in the way her eyes looked at him, or how her heart beat when they were close. Things so slight, Akane probably didn't realize she was doing it, but Ranma sensed it all.

Ranma choked on that thought. Whenever he got into this way of thinking, it always ended the same way. He'd be unable to calm down, so he'd take out the photo he had of himself with Akane. It was such a simple little thing, but it had given him hope of acceptance back then, and remembering it pushed away the doubts.

That's why he kept that photo his most private secret. It had to be his alone, or it would no longer work. Once anyone else attached another meaning to the photo, the magic would be gone forever, Ranma believed.

"I wish I could just talk to her," Ranma grumbled to herself as she gave up on working out.

Ranma walked to the door of the dojo and looked toward the setting sun. It wouldn't be long.

"Ranchan!" Ukyo waved from the house.

_Right on time_, Ranma thought and waved back to the girl in her usual purple outfit, nowhere near as enthusiastically.

Ukyo ran over and gave the smaller girl a giant hug. Ranma made no move to return the hug, twitching just a little from the sudden show of affection. In the distance, she could just barely make out Akane watching them, a little sadly, from the house.

The sight of Akane was enough to slap Ranma back to attention and she gently pushed Ukyo off of her. "Hey Ucchan," she said.

Ukyo straightened herself up a bit, feeling a bit embarrassed at her sudden behavior.

"So, what's up?" Ranma asked.

"Uh well... it's been a while since we've seen each other," Ukyo scratched her head nervously.

"Yeah, things have been pretty crazy for me lately," Ranma said and crossed her arms. "How much do you know?"

Ukyo relayed the scant details she knew, which were nothing more than what was common knowledge, really. Ranma was relieved that she didn't seem to have any suspicions over his recovery from his injuries, and was simply excited to see him after so long.

"Well, sounds like you know everything, then," Ranma said when the girl finished.

Ukyo gave Ranma a nervous smile and started tapping her foot. She was now embarrassed with herself for coming here without any sort of plan for the conversation. She'd been so happy just to have the chance.

"Thanks for helping Akane with Shampoo," Ranma said.

"Oh, right... don't mention it," Ukyo insisted.

"I know how Shampoo can be. She's a scary opponent when she's out to kill you."

"Why exactly would Shampoo want to kill Akane now, though?"

Ranma cursed herself for falling into this trap. She had her theories, but telling them would only complicate things.

"With the Amazons, I've never been able to make heads or tails about anything," Ranma said, which was actually true. "The only thing you can be sure of is that it involves their honor, and some crazy law."

"Akane said the same thing," Ukyo nodded. "I don't envy her for having Shampoo's attention, that's for sure."

"I'd hate to break it to you, but it's a good bet Shampoo's got her eye on you too, now," Ranma gave her a warning look. "Akane got on Shampoo's list just for being in the same room as me."

A chill ran up Ukyo's spine at the thought of Shampoo attacking her with the same rage. It made her really nervous that all this time, Shampoo hadn't been fighting seriously.

Ranma saw the fear suddenly grip Ukyo and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it," she said.

Ukyo looked at Ranma and saw a familiar fire in her eyes.

"Shampoo can be crazy sometimes, but she's really not all that bad," Ranma said.

Ukyo took a second to recover from shock and quickly slapped Ranma's hand away. "How can you defend her?" Ukyo snapped.

"I ain't defending anyone," Ranma defended herself. "I'm just sayin, you don't have to worry. Shampoo will calm down in a day or two and it'll all be back to her usual annoying self."

"How can you be so calm when she just tried to kill someone?" Ukyo asked, making sure to avoid making Akane the subject.

"Because Akane said it was taken care of," Ranma dashed Ukyo's hopes. "I don't like it anymore than you do, but I've got enough things to worry about on my own right now."

"And since when do you accept what Akane says?" Ukyo asked, eye twitching. "Getting comfy, are we?"

Normally, Ranma would deny any such allegations. At the present time, however, Ranma didn't feel like explaining herself to anyone, least of all someone with a history of not listening.

"You think this is comfortable?" Ranma asked loudly with a hand on her chest. "You think I like what's happened?"

"Well, you certainly don't look _un-_comfortable," Ukyo spat back, even louder than Ranma.

"Oh, right, because it's just so awesome to be stuck a girl!" Ranma said without thinking.

Ukyo suddenly slapped Ranma, completely stunning her. When she managed to finally refocus her eyes, she could see Ukyo was on the verge of crying. "At least you have a choice, you jackass!" Ukyo yelled.

"U-Ucchan?" Ranma rubbed her tender cheek.

"If you're so damn pissed off about it, just be a man and change back!" Ukyo spun around and stomped off. She didn't even remember why she wanted to see Ranma in the first place anymore.

Akane watched curiously as Ukyo stomped passed her at the entrance of the house. She'd watched the whole conversation, but heard none of it, except for their shouting match at the end. Ranma certainly hadn't lost his touch.

Ukyo didn't look at Akane when she passed her. She simply grunted a "goodbye" and left the house. She was so pissed, she believed she could cook an okonomiyaki on her head. "That jackass..."

"Man, what's her problem?" Ranma asked as she walked up to the house, still rubbing her cheek.

Akane heard what Ranma asked, and was wondering the same thing. "What on earth did you do, Ranma?" she asked.

"I don't know," Ranma said defensively. "She just got all crazy and started acting like you!"

The now familiar feeling of Akane's anger pumping into her chi shot spikes into Ranma's spine. She'd managed to put her foot in her mouth again.

"Ah, but she could _never_ replace you, Akane!" Ranma quickly added, hands raised innocently. She hoped it was a neutral enough statement.

Akane's anger stopped rising, but retained its potency as she looked at Ranma with a curious glare. "Oh really?" she asked, squinting.

Ranma slowly lowered her hands like a person facing off with a wolf. No sudden movements. Keep eye contact. Think this through. Show no fear.

Taking the couple of seconds was just long enough for Ranma to cross off her original reply about Akane's brute strength outclassing even most men. Unfortunately, Ranma had never been good at thinking of second options, so her next idea just sounded dumb.

"There's only one Akane Tendo," she said sheepishly.

"And what exactly does that mean, _Ranma_?" Akane stepped in to glare at Ranma even harder. Their faces were only inches apart now.

"It uh... it means..." Ranma stared nervously into Akane's eyes. She had nothing to say. "Eep."

"Can't explain yourself?" Akane asked the stunned girl. "Lucky for you... I'm saving my energy for tonight."

"Saving your energy for tonight, are you?" Nabiki asked from hall leading into the house.

Ranma went pale while Akane spun around in utter horror. Nabiki was standing in the hall with one of her more cunning grins. In her hand was a small device, which Akane immediately identified as her iPod touch.

"Oh no..." Akane muttered.

"Oh... _yes!_" Nabiki grinned.

Nabiki tapped the button on the screen of the iPod and it began to play a recording from its single speaker on the bottom. Both of the girls listened in horror as the conversation started with Ranma declaring "there's only one Akane Tendo" and ended with Akane saying "lucky for you... I'm saving my energy for tonight."

Nabiki smiled evilly at her sister and Ranma, whom were still too shocked to move. She really couldn't believe her luck sometimes. "I can't wait to edit this one," she teased.

Akane and Ranma were too stunned to do or say anything as Nabiki laughed and retreated back into the house.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Dinner that evening was another awkward affair. Ranma and Akane were cringing under Nabiki's teasing looks, but didn't dare confront her in the presence of the other inhabitants of the house. It didn't help either when Kasumi asked if they were going to train again tonight, to which Nabiki seized the moment.

"Oh, yes," Nabiki answered for them. "Akane's saving all of her energy for the _training, _tonight. Isn't that right, Akane?"

Akane nearly choked on the bite of rice in her mouth, but she gave no answer. She just growled at her sister and gave her a warning glare.

"Ranma's going to help you train?" Soun cut in, completely missing his daughter's behavior. "That's so wonderful!" he sniffed.

"My boy..." Genma gave Ranma a stern look with his arms crossed. "Normally I would frown on you training the family techniques to a girl... but as she's your fiancée, I approve."

"Oh, come off it," Ranma grumbled as she shoveled food into her mouth.

"Oh, but of course," Nabiki said slyly. "After all, Akane's not just anyone, eh Saotome?"

It was Ranma's turn to choke, eye twitching.

"One might even say there's only _one_ Akane Tendo," Nabiki teased, causing Ranma to turn pink.

"Nabiki, you're so silly," Kasumi smiled. "Of course there's only one Akane."

Akane and Ranma joined Kasumi in nervous laughter, hoping to find a way out of their corner.

"Ranma would certainly know better than any of us," Nabiki smiled at the redhead.

"Oh my," Kasumi put her hand to her mouth and blushed as she considered what her sister could mean. What she imagined was cute and proper.

"My son is so manly," Nodoka hid her smile behind her sleeve. She was imagining things far less appropriate than Kasumi.

"Hey! Don't get any funny ideas!" Ranma shouted, flustered.

"Hmm..." Nabiki eyed Ranma with an amused grin. "What do you think, Akane?" Nabiki asked her younger sister.

Akane gave no answer and began to shovel her rice into her mouth like Ranma on a bad day. She always ate like this when things were too much for her brain to handle.

"I guess you want some extra energy for tonight," Nabiki said at the sight of Akane wolfing down her dinner.

Akane slammed down her bowl hard enough for it to crack in her hands. Everyone looked at her in surprise, except for Nabiki. Akane was glaring daggers at her sister. She knew Nabiki was only teasing, but she couldn't believe how merciless she could be sometimes. It wasn't just her teasing though. Akane's own feelings on the matter were not mixing in a good way, and she needed to get away from everything.

"Oh, Akane, you're bleeding," Kasumi exclaimed.

Akane looked down to the cracked bowl in her hands. The sharp edge of the crack had cut her left palm, which now bled slightly.

"You better wash that," Ranma said as she reached to help Akane up.

Akane quickly grabbed her hand away from Ranma and stood up. "Just leave me alone!" she shouted and ran off to her room.

"Geez, what did I do?" Ranma asked to no one in particular. When no one said anything, Ranma let out a huff and got up to follow her. "Stupid tomboy."

Ranma knew better than to go through Akane's door, so she went straight out the back , after grabbing the first aid kit from the kitchen, and up onto the roof. Once she was over Akane's room she hung over the edge and knocked on the window.

Akane was sitting with her back against her door, knees pulled up to her chest. She gave no sign that she had heard Ranma at her window, so she just opened it herself and hopped in.

"Go away," Akane said without looking up.

"What did I do?" Ranma asked from where she was standing.

"You didn't do anything. I just want to be left alone."

"Alright," Ranma relented and then kneeled down next to her.

"That's the opposite of leaving me alone," Akane growled.

"Chill out. I'll be gone before you know it," Ranma assured her and took her left hand. She looked over the cut and pulled out the first aid kit. "At least it's not deep."

Akane watched as Ranma tended to her cut. The guilt over her feelings rose to the surface as she noted the small, pale hands holding hers. This was why she had wanted to get away from the teasing. It wasn't that she wanted to deny them. Deep down, she wanted to protest doing things with Ranma as a girl. Having her tend to her like this only confirmed that.

Ranma's touch wasn't as warm when he was a girl. Akane didn't know if it had to do with the cold water trigger, or not, but from the beginning, she noticed the female form lacking the warmth of his male body.

Akane wanted more than anything to have these thoughts out of her head. After learning more about the photo from Nabiki, she had a renewed desire to show Ranma the curse didn't matter. Despite that, though, she couldn't stop what she felt in her heart, and she hated that.

Ranma finished dressing Akane's hand with some gauze and was taking a moment to make sure it would stay in place when Akane pulled it away. She looked at Akane and saw a strange mixture of fear, anger, and maybe even shame.

"Akane, what's wrong?" she asked.

"It's nothing Ranma," Akane lied. "I just need some time alone."

Ranma considered her options. She didn't like it when Akane was like this, but couldn't see how she'd be able to get any answers out of her. Whenever she tried in the past, she got nothing without a couple of fights, both verbal and physical. Looking at her troubled face also reminded Ranma of Kasumi's thoughtful words last night. She decided to let go of this one, for now.

"Alright, I'll see you in the dojo," she said and left through her window.

Akane didn't look directly at Ranma as she left. She couldn't stand how she was feeling, and was ashamed. It'd been only two days, and she was already feeling everything inside of her changing.

It hadn't been like this before. Ever since Ranma had kissed her and told her he loved her, she could no longer look at his female cursed form the same way. She longed for his male form and its touch. She wanted to trust Kasumi, and have faith in Ranma, but how could she, if she had no faith in herself?

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

As Ranma expected, Akane had not gotten any better by the time she showed up for training late that evening. Her mind was obviously distracted as she failed to several times to find her center. Ranma didn't push her in any way, however, and simply let her figure it out herself. A person must overcome their inner battles alone when using this kind of technique.

Akane was frustrated over her failure to find her center. She tried in vain several times, but each attempt produced nothing. There was no feeling of her energy flowing through her at all. It wasn't long before her frustrations over failing at producing a battle aura replaced her original distractions.

Ranma watched and waited patiently with her arms crossed. Akane tried and tried again to use long breaths to relax her mind. Each time, the silence would hang until her brow furrowed and she scowled.

"What has you so worked up?" Ranma asked.

"No matter what I do, I can't seem to get it to work this time!" Akane yelled.

"Just relax," Ranma said calmly.

"What do you think I'm doing!" Akane screamed back, temper flaring.

Ranma pinched the bridge of her nose in her own frustration, but did not respond in kind. "Alright, so we'll do it a different way," Ranma said simply before stepping next to her. "Watch, and do as I do."

Akane watched Ranma as she spread her arms and moved them in wide circles, like a modified stretch and followed the motion. Once they circled once, Ranma raised one leg to step forward, keeping her body in fluid motion. As her leg raised all the way up, she bent the knee and positioned her arms in a very familiar pose, which Akane mimicked.

Ranma led Akane through the steps slowly, keeping them moving constantly in one of the base katas of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. The kata focused on balance and the constant flow of a body in motion. Ranma knew Akane wasn't used to such combinations, having practiced short strikes her entire life, but was pleased that she picked up quickly, and no longer paused between steps awkwardly on the third run.

Akane followed Ranma through the kata. While no verbal instruction was given, none were needed. By the middle of the second time doing the movements, Akane picked up that it was supposed to be one fluid string, rather than a collection of poses and movements. She no longer followed Ranma's motions, having memorized the dance, and performed in step with her, based on timing alone.

Ranma could sense Akane moving on her own and smirked. She had to give her credit, she was a fast learner. It kind of made her feel guilty for not having done anything to help Akane train until now, but things would be different moving forward.

"Now, find your center," Ranma spoke sternly while continuing the repeated kata.

Akane barely heard Ranma as a distant voice as she continued the kata. She marveled at the freedom her body felt, flowing so smoothly. To her surprise, she also did as instructed without any thought at all. Her center was there through each move, hanging as a mystical balancing point. She focused on that point of balance, feeling it pulse with each movement.

The world became a haze around Akane as she focused on her center. She only faintly felt her body as it moved through the kata. The sounds of her feet on the wooden floor a faint echo to the beating of her own heart. Her center became all that she sensed.

"Release!" Ranma instructed.

Akane listened to Ranma's distant voice and embraced her center. She breathed it in, and exhaled it into a bright blue aura that matched Ranma's.

Just as the world had been a numb haze before, it was the exact opposite now. It was warm and alive in the embrace of her aura. Raw energy flowed through her body as they moved, making her feel light as a feather, but more powerful than ever.

Ranma led Akane through the kata, feeling her chi flowing through the movements. While they'd been smooth to the eye, they were still slightly tense when sensed through her chi. Each move was causing her chi to crash suddenly like a wave upon a rocky cliff while Ranma's ebbed and flowed evenly.

"Relax into it," Ranma said as they returned to the beginning of the kata. "Let it guide you."

Akane didn't understand what Ranma was saying, but relaxed all the same. She noted how the chi flowed through her arms and legs, almost like a gentle tug. She followed the waves of energy, allowing them to move her smoothly as one move led to another.

Ranma felt the shift in Akane's movements. Everything was seamless now as her chi moved in perfect unison with hers. Ranma said nothing to praise Akane's accomplishment, though, to avoid breaking the fragile balance. She remained silent as they continued repeating the kata around the dojo, sending gentle waves of chi outward through their blue auras.

As the two continued their martial arts trance, the waves of energy grew larger. Each wave boomed in their ears like a war drum, drowning them completely in their massive auras. The flowing chi became all they felt.

Akane basked in the warm glow that pushed and pulled her through the flowing kata. She could feel Ranma's energy as well as her own, moving in perfect harmony. Unabashed, she reached for Ranma's chi with her own, finding a welcome comfort.

Ranma felt Akane's aura seeping into hers. She shivered ever so slightly, but did not retreat from it. As their energies flowed together, Ranma was reminded of when they'd used the dual jet stream raging waters attack. That was the first time they'd ever worked together like that, but it was hardly a harmonious effort as he had struggled to set the pace, and forced his lead.

This time, Ranma let Akane in without any resistance to prove she was the one in control. She breathed in deeply, accepting the chi from Akane's aura, and let it flow with hers in a whole new way. No longer were they two auras in synch. They were now two auras flowing into one, turning to a golden light that neither of their eyes were aware of.

Akane's body tingled when she felt Ranma's aura accept hers. She now felt her chi extending further than before, moving with Ranma's as one. It was a completely new sensation, yet felt so natural to her.

Ranma felt the same as Akane did as they moved as one. Everything was warmer and stronger than before, but didn't feel the slightest bit out of place. One thought came to mind as she let the new aura carry her.

_Akane._

_Ranma._

A second passed since they had both thought of the other before something dawned on them both.

_Akane?_

_Ranma? Wha..._

Both Akane and Ranma lost their focus on what they were doing as they realized what they were hearing in their minds. Ranma twitched in one direction while Akane did in another, throwing them out of synch and causing their auras to become chaotic.

While their chi had been moving like the ocean before, now they were splashing against each other as their auras split violently and faded. The split hit them both like crashing waves, leaving them feeling cold in the absence of the once united auras.

Ranma managed to remain standing while Akane dropped to her knees, both panting for breath. They didn't need to look at one another to realize they'd both experienced the same thing, and were equally as surprised by it.

"Ranma, what was that?" Akane asked.

"I... I dunno," Ranma said.

The two spared nervous glances at each other while Akane got to her feet. There was no way either of them could think of to describe what they had experienced for those brief seconds.

"It was so strange," Akane said. "I... think I heard you in my head."

"Yeah, me too," Ranma looked away, blushing.

While no words were spoken, both of them slowly came to the same conclusion.

"We need to talk to the old ghoul," Ranma said.

Akane nodded. "I'll stop by her restaurant after exams and see if she can come see us."

Ranma nodded her agreement and the two fell silent again. Neither knew what to say about anything, but both were still thinking about what they just experienced. It wasn't until Akane's stomach let out a hungry growl that they were brought out of their separate meditations.

"Oh yeah, the chi training makes you pretty hungry," Ranma said, rubbing her head.

"Heh, guess I shouldn't push too hard during these late night sessions," Akane blushed as her stomach growled again.

"Ah, just get a little something for a snack," Ranma smiled. "Sleep and a big breakfast can make up the difference."

"Okay," Akane said and started to make her way to the door of the dojo. She looked like she was ready to faint, now that she was moving.

Ranma followed and was ready when Akane suddenly collapsed from the exertion on her body. She held Akane up with an arm wrapped around her back while the other braced her arm.

"Thanks," Akane said weakly. "Was it like this for you too, the first time?"

Ranma chuckled. "You would know better than me. I passed out, remember?"

Akane blushed when she remembered how Ranma had passed and out and she tended to her in her room. "Oh... I uh... forgot," she admitted.

"Well, lucky for you, we didn't work you nearly as hard," Ranma said before moving her arm and lifting Akane up bridal style. "You're just not used to using your chi like that yet."

Akane blushed, but said nothing as Ranma swept her up and carried her towards the house. She couldn't move much at all to even try to break free, so she gave up on arguing and risking Ranma changing her mind on helping her. Being in the girl's arms though only brought her back to thinking about how different it was when Ranma was a man. Those thoughts occupied her mind, and she began to idly run a finger tip along Ranma's collar bone while she was carried to the kitchen.

Ranma had noticed Akane absentmindedly running her finger on her collar bone, but said nothing about it as she brought them to the kitchen. She was hungry, and didn't feel like risking a fight. "Well, here we are," she said.

Akane blinked out of her trance and realized they had reached the kitchen. She looked up at Ranma, whom was looking down at her, and blushed when she saw what her finger was doing. She was now more fully aware of what she was thinking about, and knew that once food entered the equation, her chances were shot.

"Er... Ranma," Akane said.

"Yeah?" Ranma asked.

"Um... you don't suppose you could..." Akane nervously ran her finger over Ranma's chest, just over her breasts.

Ranma understood what Akane meant, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't want to do the same thing. But, Ranma was sure it wasn't safe to transform back again. Ever since last time, Ranma felt, on more than one occasion, an icy presence lingering nearby. She was sure that Ku was watching from somewhere.

"I'm sorry, Akane, but I can't," Ranma said sadly.

"Not even for just a minute?" Akane pleaded. Her desires were straining. She felt like she was beyond wanting to see Ranma as a guy and on her way to needing it.

Ranma stuttered slightly at Akane's sudden pleading. She wasn't used to her pleading for anything, but she already knew she didn't like it. The way Akane's eyes plucked her heart strings did not sit well with Ranma. She had to shut her eyes to even be able to say anything of resistance.

"I'm sorry. Not even for a minute," she said while shaking her head.

"But..."

Ranma stopped her from talking when she suddenly leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. While nothing like the kiss they'd shared before, it was enough to stun Akane, and she looked at her questionably.

There was obvious pain in Ranma's eyes as she looked back into Akane's. Being stuck a girl was always bad enough, whenever it happened. To have that slapped on top of everything else going on, right now, was close to breaking Ranma's well trained control. While it's true, most would consider Ranma a more unruly person, he'd never truly broken before. Had Akane not come back after the defeat of Saffron, the world may have witnessed Ranma breaching his limits. Now, that same feeling of barely contained emotions was threatening Ranma again.

"I'm sorry..." Ranma closed her eyes and slowly put Akane down on her feet.

Akane wanted to reach out and comfort Ranma as she drew away from her. She wanted to let her know that it was okay, and she understood, but she was too weak to move.

Ranma released her hold on Akane slowly, making sure she could stand on her own. Once she did, she opened the refrigerator and got out some leftover meat buns for them.

Akane watched quietly as Ranma put the plate of buns into the microwave to warm up. She wondered how long things were going to be this way. She also felt a tinge of guilt at the expression Ranma had given her. She hadn't been thinking of Ranma's own feelings on the matter when she'd nearly begged her to change into a guy. She was only thinking about her own desires.

Ranma didn't look at Akane as she waited for the buns to warm. She put her hands on her hips and let her senses take in everything around her.

The warm late spring evening carried the sounds of insects into the otherwise quiet house. Somewhere, beyond the walls of the house, Ranma sensed it again. The ice cold presence was faint, but definitely there, and in the same unknown spot Ranma was sure she'd felt it before.

Without turning, Ranma looked towards the spot through the corner of her eye. She had been looking at the tall building next to the Tendo property a few times since she first felt the icy chill coming from it. It was unnerving to have him so close, but Ranma never actually saw Ku, and he never made a move on the house.

Ranma considered how much longer Ku would wait before he either attacked to try to force his male form out, or learn of his secret. After training with Happosai, and learning to sense things through chi, Ranma was starting to suspect that's how Ku mainly saw what was happening in combat. It explained his unnatural speed and reaction to anything they ever did to attack or dodge. It also explained why he so plainly missed the obvious when Ranma changed during battle.

Ranma was considering that theory when an idea popped into her head at the sound of the microwave's ding. She was weighing the risks, and decided it would be easy enough to sense if there was danger early on. She would make sure everyone was okay with it first, of course. The last thing she needed was everyone in the house freaking out.

With her idea now being planned in her head, Ranma took the plate of buns and handed them to Akane. She took one for herself and leaned in to whisper in Akane's ear. "Maybe tomorrow," she said.

Akane nearly gasped when she heard Ranma. Her guilt and sadness were immediately replaced by hope and anticipation. She looked at Ranma as she passed her to leave the kitchen, but got no further explanation. She would simply have to wait.

Akane's stomach growled to remind her of more pressing matters. She shook her head to recover from her daze and started eating the buns where she stood.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ku watched the Tendo house closely. Curious things had happened in the house that day. Things more curious than when he'd discovered the red haired girl was alive. He'd never had someone survive the attack he used on her before, and the mystery deepened when he saw her practicing with the other girl.

What he'd just seen the two girls do was quite interesting. He saw something he'd not seen in quite some time when the two auras combined into one. It was a very powerful technique and there were very few ways people could achieve it.

While curious, it was of no threat to Ku. Not even combining auras could stop him. There was nothing any mortal could do to stop him. Over 3000 years of experience taught him that much. Anything they tried would be useless before him. Even this training they were doing.

No, Ku would not let himself be concerned with the training the girls did. If anything, it was entertaining to watch them try in vain to prepare for him. He would save them for last, and make sure the man they fought for watched them die. The look on his face would be delicious.

Thinking of that man, Ku was still perplexed on where he had gone. His eyes never saw him, nor did he sense his chi anywhere in the house. Not even the faintest sniff.

Ku looked down on the house where he was sure that man, Ranma, was hiding. He'd considered moving in closer so that he could hear the people within. Secrets to the eyes were often given by the lips, after all. But, he knew it would be too close, and give away his presence to that wretched old man, whom just happened to be hopping back onto the roof with a large sack on his shoulders.

Ku watched the old man hopping into the house. Such a silly waste of power. Were this two hundred years ago, he might have considered him worthy. Now, he was just an annoyance. While no longer worthy, he was still a well trained warrior, and could obviously sense chi.

Ku didn't want them to know he was this close, or else there was less of a chance of a slip up. He didn't want to risk Ranma escaping again with his time becoming short. He could still be patient, for now.

Ku let his black chi consume him, and vanished into the night.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** These chapters are getting long again, huh? Everything just seems to take more words than I think they will to get through. This chapter especially had a lot of meat to it, and I even considered splitting it into two, at one point, but really wanted it all together.

This story has officially become my second most read story, now only behind my Evangelion fic, which has more chapters and years on this one. I'm thankful for everyone that's found the story interesting enough to read all of the chapters so far. Things are starting to finally get interesting, and you all can expect more twists as it continues.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	13. Bond

Akane stood outside of the Nekohoten nervously. She hadn't given much thought to visiting the restaurant since last night, but being in front of it now made her freeze. Behind that doorway was Shampoo.

Akane wasn't sure what to expect, but she hoped it wasn't the same Shampoo from a couple days ago. Steeling herself with a deep breath, Akane opened the door and crossed the threshold.

"Welcome to the Cat Cafe," Shampoo said to the dinging doorbell, sounding lethargic. "You eat in, or..." she stopped when she turned around and saw who was at the door.

Akane stood quietly watching Shampoo. The usually bright and energetic Amazon looked okay, but wasn't nearly as lively as she should have been. Her face showed almost no emotion at all when she gazed back at Akane.

"Uh, hello, Shampoo," Akane said.

"Akane," Shampoo replied without a hint of malice.

Shampoo turned back around to take the tray of dishes she'd been holding to the back to be washed. When she returned, she had a pad and pen out.

"So, you order take out for Ranma?" she asked.

Akane was seriously shocked by Shampoo's behavior. It wasn't just her saying Ranma's name instead of airen, but it was how she said it. Lacking any enthusiasm at all. She'd never seen her act so robotic before. It was like her soul had been taken.

"Er... no, I'm not here for food. I wanted to speak to Cologne."

At the mention of Cologne, Shampoo's eye twitched ever so slightly, but she quickly returned to her blank mask.

"Great grandmother in back. I go get," she said and went back into the kitchen again. A minute later, she exited with a tray of food for a table while Cologne hopped out behind her.

"Hello, Akane," Cologne said as she reached the front of the restaurant. "What brings you by today?"

Akane didn't know how much Shampoo actually knew, so she decided it was best to keep as quiet as possible. She leaned in and spoke softly, not wanting to whisper and offend the younger Amazon.

"Ranma and I need to talk to you. Can you come by today?" she asked.

Cologne smirked when she heard the request. She figured they would eventually want to speak to her together, most likely after a unique experience. Why it took so long though, Cologne found rather interesting.

"Well, things are slow today," Cologne gestured to the mostly empty restaurant. "I can come by soon, before the dinner rush starts."

"Okay, thank you," Akane bowed.

"Don't thank me yet, dear," Cologne smiled mischievously. "I think I know what it is you want to speak to me about."

Akane got a sinking feeling at the smile Cologne gave her. While it wasn't malevolent, it was obvious that Cologne suspected something was going to happen. Akane didn't like the idea that the potion had some kind of side effect Cologne neglected to mention. She wanted to demand answers, but kept her temper down when she noticed Shampoo doing a poor job of trying to look like she wasn't listening to them.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter XIII: Bond**

* * *

Akane returned home shortly after speaking to Cologne with her usual greeting. It felt good to be home from her last day as a junior in high school, but much larger concerns were on her mind.

"Hello, Akane," Kasumi greeted her younger sister in the hallway. "How were exams?"

"They were good. I think I did better than I expected," she said.

"That's wonderful," Kasumi said before returning to the kitchen.

Akane followed Kasumi, but turned into the family room instead of following her into the kitchen. To her surprise, it was completely empty.

"Where is everyone?" Akane asked.

"Your father and my husband are sparring with Ranma and Happosai in the dojo," Nodoka said from the kitchen.

"Mmm? Aunty Saotome?" Akane leaned back to look into the kitchen.

Ranma's mother was busying herself with preparing what looked like a large feast with Kasumi. The two women looked perfectly happy as they cooked together.

"What's all this for?" Akane asked.

"Well, once father and Mr. Saotome agreed to help Ranma train, Ranma warned us we'd need an extra large dinner," Kasumi answered.

"And you can look at this as a sort of early congratulations dinner for Nabiki finishing high school," Nodoka added. She looked happy to be cooking again.

"Oh, well, I'll just check up on Ranma then," Akane said.

"Oh, my son is so manly to have you so devoted," Nodoka said with a warm smile.

"It's nothing like that!" Akane shouted back.

"He certainly is," Kasumi agreed with a knowing smile towards Akane.

Akane couldn't believe that Kasumi was actually agreeing with Ranma's mother now. It only made matters worse, because everyone knew Kasumi wasn't the teasing type. More than likely, it would cause even more suspicion. She didn't think it was worth trying to convince them otherwise, though, since it never worked anyways

"Oh, forget it!" she growled and just left them to their cooking and headed to the dojo.

When Akane got to the dojo she saw Ranma flying through the air being chased by Happosai. Her father was on the ground flanking Ranma, but Mr. Saotome was nowhere to be seen.

As Ranma landed, she spun around to sweep a leg under Soun. Being slower, Soun couldn't dodge in time, but easily rolled out of the fall. Ranma had no time to follow Soun with another attack as Happosai flew at her with his dragon shaped aura. She jumped back and then spun as the dragon snaked around her in pursuit.

Ranma rolled to avoid being trapped by Happosai's dragon aura only to come under attack by Soun again. While the older man may have lacked speed, he was still an adept martial artist in ground combat, and his strikes kept Ranma on the defensive. He kept the pressure on while his friend appeared behind Ranma.

Ranma sensed her father behind her and jumped up to avoid him using his umi-sen ken's strike of the spitting white snake. She meant to kick her father on the way down, but he had already vanished again. Instead, she had to flip to catch herself on Soun's fist. She then flipped away to get some space. This move only sent her into the path of Happosai's dragon, however, and she barely was able to block it with her own aura. The force of the impact threw her back and into the dragon's coiling body.

Happosai guided the dragon with his arms and coiled it around Ranma. She had nowhere to escape to, and cursed as she had to resort to expelling a lot of chi to break through with a powerful aura. The aura dragon evaporated as Ranma threw her arms out and spread her aura.

The few seconds it took Ranma to escape the dragon left her senses completely occupied. This was the opportunity that her father, Genma, had been waiting for as he hid in plain sight. As the dragon faded away, he revealed himself out of the umi-sen ken again, directly behind Ranma.

"Cradle of hell!" Genma shouted.

Ranma visibly flinched as Genma's chi extended towards her, radiating with his creepy love for his son, and she jumped away more out of reflex than a planned escape. "Gah! Get away!" she cried.

"Running away, are you?" Soun bellowed, unleashing his demonic aura head.

"Aaaaaah!" Ranma screamed. She jumped back from the purple demon head.

"Ho! Sweet-oh!" Happosai cackled as he created a giant manifestation of himself with his aura.

"Eeeeee!" Ranma flipped away from the giant pervert.

"What's the matter son?" Genma asked as he charged his own chi. "Feeling cornered?" Genma unleashed his chi into a giant panda and joined the other two in surrounding Ranma.

Ranma looked back and forth between the three giant auras that contained some of her greatest fears. Happosai's unrivaled perversions, her father's twisted idea of love for his son, and Soun's retribution for dishonoring Akane in any way. The three combined sent different chills down Ranma's spine, and they were all coming closer.

"You'll have to do better than this for Akane, _Ranma!"_ Soun bellowed.

"You're cowering like a _girl!"_ Genma growled.

"Maybe it's better that you _stay_ this way!" Happosai laughed and licked his lips.

Ranma had trouble finding her center as the three pressed in on her. Fear was overtaking her, and she was starting to panic, even though she knew it was just training. The deep, base instincts are hard to ignore.

When the three were right on top of her, Ranma felt her fear spike and her center appeared with a pump of adrenaline. She let that spark go without any resistance. She had no control as her aura was unleashed in all directions. Instinct was her guide.

Ranma's blue aura exploded outwards as she dropped onto her back and did several spinning kicks. The spinning kicks whirled her aura into a spiral, like the hiryu shoten ha, only instead of sucking in her foes, it blew everyone back with just as much force.

Akane braced herself as the violent wind and chi threatened to send her flying out of the dojo. She was barely able to remain standing. The three men were not so lucky, as the whirlwind slammed into them and blew them into the walls.

When the winds settled, the three men were laying on the ground, dazed, and aura-less. Ranma was on her back in the middle of the dojo with her legs bent and hands beside her head, looking like Akane had just malleted her.

"That was either really impressive, or pathetic..." Akane said and crossed her arms. It was an impressive display of power, to be sure, but lacked any kind of control over oneself. It was the equivalent of the spray and pray tactic in a shooting game.

Ranma said nothing and remained on the floor twitching slightly. The move she had done expelled a lot of her chi, and she wasn't exactly sure how she even did it.

"Well... either way, it packed one hell of a wallop," Happosai groaned and rubbed his head.

Genma and Soun groaned their agreement.

"Guh..." Ranma managed to utter. She felt really light headed.

"Ranma, you've got a lot more punch now, than when we started," Happosai praised her. He hopped to his feet and pointed at the dazed girl. "But you gotta learn better control! You can't afford to use everything you have in a panic like that against your opponent!"

"Ugh... I won't argue that," Ranma grumbled.

"Well, I think your extras are finished," Happosai said. He walked over and jabbed Genma in the side to see if he was still conscious.

Genma didn't even flinch from the hit, but groaned.

"Go on, get outta here!" Happosai twirled his pipe and launched Genma out of the dojo with it. Soun slowly dragged himself out after his friend, not wanting to receive a similar helping hand.

"I don't think I've got another round in me," Ranma groaned. She felt like she'd just been pummeled by Pantyhose Taro's cursed form.

"Hmmm..." Happosai lit his pipe and puffed it while examining Ranma. "That's my point exactly. An adrenaline rush to your chi like that will pretty much use everything you've got in an attempt to survive. It can be dangerous to panic like that."

"I don't even know what came over me," Ranma admitted. "I just... acted on instinct."

"Mmm," Happosai nodded. "Such is how many powerful techniques are discovered. Master your instincts, Ranma, and you just may find a new set of techniques buried in your nature."

"I hope you're right," Ranma grunted as she tried to get up. Her body was not responding to her commands.

"Are you going to be okay?" Akane asked, now by Ranma's side. She helped Ranma sit up by holding her shoulder.

"Yeah... I just can't wait until dinner."

"Oh, so you're the same as always," Akane joked. Ranma only grumbled in response.

Happosai watched the two teenagers and grinned to himself. He was remembering Ranma's whispered request earlier that day. That sly dog, Happosai thought.

A sudden presence caught the old master's attention. "I think you've got a visitor, Ranma," he said.

"Hmm?" Ranma looked back to see Cologne perched on her staff in the doorway to the dojo.

"Hello, son-in-law," Cologne smiled.

Akane gripped Ranma's shoulder reflexively at Cologne using the old title. She didn't like that the old woman still considered Ranma claimable by Shampoo, even after helping her with the potion. The old saying of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer came to mind.

"Hey... Cologne," Ranma said hesitantly. She also didn't like Cologne calling her 'son-in-law', but didn't want to sabotage the conversation with her usual disrespect.

Cologne glanced over at Happosai, whom gave her a look that showed he was not surprised at all that she was there. "I take it Happosai knows what's happened?" she asked.

"What?" Ranma asked. She didn't think Akane would tell the old big mouthed pervert, and she sure as hell hadn't.

"I don't know what happened," Happosai said, "but I'm well aware of the results." He glanced at the two teens.

"I suspected you'd be able to tell," Cologne squinted at the old master she'd once been attracted to.

"Well, you don't train as long as me without learning to see things that are so obvious," Happosai retorted.

"I'm sure," Cologne kept her gaze on Happosai.

"Humph," Happosai glared back at the Amazon elder. "Well, I'm not getting involved with any of your Amazon junk. I'll leave you to it," he said and hopped out of the dojo.

"I'm surprised he left," Ranma said.

"I'm grateful," Akane said.

"As am I," Cologne couldn't keep her age old grudge against Happosai out of her tone. She got down from her staff in front of the two kneeling teens. "So, you both wanted to speak to me."

"That's right," Akane said.

"Am I right in assuming something unexpected has happened?" Cologne gave them an amused glance.

"So you _do_ know what's going on," Ranma accused. "Spill it! What's the catch to the damn potion!"

Cologne laughed at Ranma's outburst. He could be so predictable. "Settle down, son-in-law, I assure you nothing sinister is going on."

Ranma didn't trust Cologne to her word, but calmed down when Akane pressed down on her shoulder. "So, what's going on then?"

"Well, you'll have to tell me what happened first."

Ranma sighed and thought back to the previous night. "We don't know," she said.

"Something happened while we were training," Akane elaborated.

"What kind of training?" Cologne asked, curious on how martial arts training could cause anything to happen.

"Ranma's been teaching me to use my chi as a battle aura," Akane answered. "Yesterday we were doing a kata together when it happened."

Cologne squinted at Akane. If they were training in battle auras and chi, they were experiencing something entirely different than what she expected. "So you were using your auras the whole time?"

Akane nodded. "Eventually, it started to feel different. It didn't feel like I was next to Ranma anymore. It was like we were in one big aura."

"Hmm, that certainly is interesting," Cologne nodded. "When did you notice it was different, and decide to come to me?"

"I don't think either of us noticed until we heard each other's voices in our heads," Akane answered.

Cologne laughed. They were experiencing what she had thought after all, although not quite as expected. "You two can relax. There's nothing wrong with you, if that's what you were afraid of."

"So, what is it then?" Ranma asked.

"Do you remember when I explained how the potion would heal Ranma, Akane?" Cologne asked.

"Yeah, you said my chi would heal Ranma," she answered.

"Right, and you formed a bridge with your hands," Cologne added. "The truth is, there is a bit more to the potion than I originally told you."

"Ah ha! I knew you were hiding somethin!" Ranma shouted.

"Sh! Ranma!" Akane hushed her, in case people were nearby.

"What did you do, old ghoul?" Ranma hissed.

"Well, if it's something bad, that's your fault," Cologne poked Ranma with her staff.

"Hey, I didn't do nothin!" Ranma complained.

"Keep it down!" Akane squeezed Ranma's arm harshly.

Ranma growled at Akane, but did as she was told. "How is it my fault?"

"It'll be both your faults," Cologne corrected herself. "To put it simply, a special bond was formed when Akane's chi split between you two. In all previous cases, this bond has gradually surfaced itself between the two people that used the potion."

"How so?" Akane asked, still gripping Ranma's arm hard enough to make her groan.

"It's different for everyone, depending on the type of relationship and bond," Cologne said. "And I'll admit, no one's pursued chi and battle aura training after using the potions in the past. Most people have decided to spend the rest of their lives in peaceful retirement, given the circumstances.

"The bond will feel natural, no matter how it happens. Your auras feeling like it was one could be because you were somehow reuniting Akane's chi with them."

"I guess that makes sense," Akane said as she thought about it.

"And the voices?" Ranma asked.

Cologne suddenly looked a little sheepish, and the two teens could have sworn she was blushing. "Well... that's not unheard of..."

"Meaning?" Akane asked.

Cologne cleared her throat uncomfortably. "I don't think it's really important, as long as you realize it's normal," she said.

"Hearing Akane in my head isn't normal," Ranma said, squinting at Cologne.

"Well, it shouldn't happen often..." Cologne insisted.

"And when can we expect it to happen?" Akane asked. She didn't want it to happen at random. If there was a way to control it, she wanted to know.

"Ahem, well... If you're both sure you really want to know..." Cologne looked at both teens, whom gave her serious glares. They wanted to know everything. "Well... in past cases, the sharing of thoughts occurred during matters of... intimacy."

Ranma and Akane both gave the widest eyed faces of shock in their entire lives.

"Wha... what the hell is that supposed to mean!" Akane demanded, face already pink.

"We were just training!" Ranma insisted.

Cologne laughed at their reactions to the news. "Well, I did say no one's ever pursued this kind of training before after using this potion," Cologne said. "It's just that, when the two people bonded by it are closest, when the bond is strong, their thoughts are shared through it. Surely you can understand how matters of intimacy could cause such closeness?"

Both Ranma and Akane blushed, but Ranma much more than Akane. In fact, the corner of her mouth was twitching as she remembered something that happened the night she'd turned back into a guy and kissed Akane.

"Ah!" Cologne raised her eye brows at Ranma's expression. "Do you have something to say, son-in-law?"

"He most certainly does not!" Akane glared at Ranma.

"I do," Ranma said.

"Huh?" Akane blinked in surprise.

"It happened three nights ago. Something happened between me and Akane. Afterwards, I noticed a golden light in Akane's hand."

"What? I don't remember that."

"Your eyes were closed at the time. It was gone by the time you opened them."

"Hmm..." Cologne considered what Ranma had said. While no details were given, she was no fool. "I won't ask for any details, but I can honestly say whatever you did is exactly what I was talking about. That golden light is the chi Akane used to heal you. It's what makes up the bond. Why it would actually manifest itself like that, however... hmm..."

"You mean that hasn't happened before?" Ranma asked.

"Not that I know of, but I'll have to look into my tribe's history to research every recorded use of the potion," Cologne answered. "As I said though, it's just a part of the bond, and shouldn't be anything to worry about."

While Akane felt relieved to know what was going on, more questions were falling in their place. She was worried about this bond. "Will this bond affect us?" she asked.

"What do you mean, dear?"

Akane was almost too afraid to even ask, but she needed to know. "Will it... make us feel differently for each other?"

Akane's question made Ranma feel numb. Something like that had never even factored into her mind, but if Akane was worried, then she must be having doubts. She could already feel her heart slipping.

"No," Cologne answered simply.

"That's it? No?" Akane asked.

"Disappointed?" Cologne asked with an amused look in her eyes.

"No... but..." Akane looked over at Ranma. The redhead did not lift her head.

"You young people are such worriers," Cologne sighed. "You need to learn to live a little."

Ranma and Akane both gave her clueless looks.

Cologne rubbed her forehead in frustration. "And they say we Amazons are strict and boring..." she let out an exasperated breath. "The bond is only possible _because_ of how you two feel."

"Ooooooooooooh," Ranma and Akane said together, but still looked rather clueless to Cologne.

"Meaning?" Ranma asked.

Cologne whacked Ranma over the head with her staff.

"Ow! What did you do that for!" Ranma complained.

"Are you fooling with me? Or are you really that stupid?" Cologne asked, glaring.

"Why you..." Ranma shook her clenched fist at the elder.

"Ranma," Akane held her back with a gentle hand to the shoulder. When Ranma relaxed, Akane spoke to Cologne again. "So... why would you do this then? It's obviously not going to help Shampoo."

"Shampoo has more important things to worry about than Ranma," Cologne muttered.

"But you sound like you haven't given up," Ranma said.

"I haven't," Cologne spun her staff and pointed it at Ranma. "You'd best settle up while you can, son-in-law. Once Shampoo deals with her matter of honor, she'll be after you again, unless you take matters into your own hands."

"What matter of honor?" Ranma asked.

"You don't really expect me to tell you, do you?"

"I guess not..." Ranma sighed.

"Isn't there any way we can settle this peacefully?" Akane asked. She knew there was no way she'd let Ranma go now, and didn't want to spend the rest of their lives running from a crazed Amazon.

"You still have the Amazon law book. Read it and find out," Cologne smiled.

"And why should we believe you'd ever really help Akane against Shampoo?" Ranma asked. She could remember more than a handful of times where they'd used Akane in some kind of plot to either trick one of them, force Ranma to fight with their engagement on the line, or just get her out of the way.

"It's all in the book, but I'll give you a head start," Cologne thrust her staff until the point just touched Ranma's nose. "Rule number one: The tribe comes before honor."

"Oh, that explains plenty," Ranma said sarcastically.

"Thank you, Cologne," Akane bowed.

"Heh, maybe by the end of this, your chi will give Ranma some of your manners," Cologne laughed.

"I doubt it," Akane groaned.

"That's not funny," Ranma growled.

"No, it isn't," Akane shot back.

Cologne laughed at the exchange between Ranma and Akane. She really wished things could have been this way with Shampoo, but she knew better than to dwell on dreams. "Well, all the same, you two can relax. There is nothing to fear from the potion. You owe it to yourselves to focus on what's important now."

"I still don't get why you're doing all this," Ranma said.

"I'll admit, it may not have been the most well thought out plan I've had," Cologne said. "My original goal was just to keep you alive, so Shampoo still had a chance at obtaining her honor by marrying you. In my haste, I hadn't really considered how this would affect you two. None of that matters now, though. All this has shown me how far Shampoo has to go before she's ready to take charge as an Amazon."

Ranma and Akane both gave Cologne nervous looks as she perched back onto her staff. She couldn't blame them for being weary. She'd be too, if the roles were reversed.

"Read the book of Amazon Law, and maybe you'll understand my actions," she said. "Now, I'd better get going before it gets too busy at the restaurant."

"Okay, thank you for coming, Cologne," Akane bowed again. Ranma mimicked her bow, although she was obviously strained in doing it.

"Let me know if you have any more questions. Oh, and I think you should continue your training together. What you've told me is very... interesting," Cologne smiled and hopped out of the dojo before either of them could say anything.

Akane sighed," I dunno about that."

"What do you mean?" Ranma asked.

"Well, maybe we should read the book of laws first, before we do anymore training together. I want to know why Cologne is doing all this, and how it involves Shampoo."

"Aw, but I had something big planned for your training tonight," Ranma mock whined.

"Really?" Akane looked at Ranma.

"Yeah. I think one more night would do you some good."

"Well... if you already had something planned..."

"And besides, Nabiki's the one who kept the book of laws," Ranma pointed out with a sick look in her eyes.

"Oh, great..." Akane slumped her shoulders. "How much do you suppose it'll cost us?"

"I don't know if I even want to find out," Ranma cringed. "She's been a little quiet lately, and is probably just waiting to get one of us."

"But we need to know what's in that book."

"Yeah..." Ranma rubbed her chin. "I guess we'll just have to ask, and see how it goes."

Akane nodded and Ranma got up slowly. She stretched with a groan over her aches and shook her arms and legs a few times.

"Are you sure you're going to be able to train with me tonight?" Akane asked.

"Just be ready," Ranma said with fire in her eyes. "I'll be back in business after dinner, no problem!"

"Okay, if you say so," Akane stood up.

"Just trust me. You're not going to want to miss training tonight," Ranma made a few more stretches and then turned to leave.

"Er, Ranma, about what I said about the bond thing," Akane stopped her from leaving by grabbing her arm. "I hope you didn't take it the wrong way."

"And what way would that be?" Ranma asked, not meeting her eyes.

"I know how I feel, Ranma. It's just... well..." Akane felt her confusion coming back.

"I meant what I said," Ranma said quickly. "I'll admit, it took what was happening to give me the guts to do it, but I meant all of it."

Akane couldn't help herself and hugged Ranma from behind. Ranma tensed from the sudden contact, but slowly relaxed.

"Thank you," Akane said.

"Don't mention it," Ranma said a little awkwardly.

"Is something wrong?" Akane asked as she released Ranma from her hug.

"Nope, just gotta, you know, get a bath before dinner!" Ranma walked out of the dojo a little stiffly.

Akane sighed, believing she understood why Ranma was acting strangely after the hug. Even though he'd admitted his feelings, Ranma was still Ranma. It was probably going to be a while before he was comfortable, even in private. Akane had to admit, it would be the same for her. It's not like she could really expect them to suddenly become a happy couple after everything they'd been through.

It was also different when Ranma was a girl, as far as Akane was concerned. When things finally settled down, she'd need to talk to him about it.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

By the Time Ranma finished her cold bath, Nabiki had returned home from celebrating finishing high school with some friends. Those friends, of course, were really just her betting pool partners, but they were as close as she got in her days at Furinkan.

Ranma was just heading towards the family room, dressed in a new red vest and her usual black slacks, when she ran into Nabiki speaking with Akane.

"Ranma, come here," Akane called over.

"What's up?" Ranma asked, although she was already certain what this was about.

"Akane tells me you two have a request for me," Nabiki said with a sly grin.

"Oh yeah. You still have that book of Amazon Law, right?" Ranma asked.

"That, I do," Nabiki answered.

"We need that book," Akane said.

Nabiki glanced between Ranma and Akane. She found it interesting that they would want the book, considering they've never shown much concern for the Amazon laws before. "And why do you need the book?" she asked.

"We just want to know some of the laws," Akane answered.

"Which ones?" Nabiki prodded for more info.

"We don't know. Whichever ones are interesting," Akane said.

"Hmm... and what kind of laws would you find interesting?" Nabiki asked with her special smile. It was the smile of a woman about to make some money.

"Just give us the book..." Ranma held out her hand. "What's your price?"

"Oh, Ranma, you should know better," Nabiki smirked. "One doesn't name a price until they know how much the information is worth."

"Nabiki, this isn't the time for games," Akane warned. "Shampoo tried to kill me two days ago, and Cologne just warned us she would be after Ranma again after some matter of honor was settled."

_So that's it,_ Nabiki thought as she took in the free information. Akane was far too easy sometimes. "So you're wondering what this matter of honor could be?" she asked.

"Yes, and it seems to be important to Cologne too," Akane added.

"So, cough it up," Ranma demanded.

"I'm sorry, but no," Nabiki crossed her arms.

"How can you say that?" Akane asked.

"What else is there to it?" Nabiki asked. "What more aren't you telling me?"

"Heh, like you don't withhold information ever?" Ranma asked.

"I'm so hurt," Nabiki put her hand to her chest. "I'm your future sister-in-law!"

"And giving us that book will help ensure that," Ranma hissed.

"Oh really?" Nabiki grinned. She got them.

"Er..." Ranma felt stupid for falling into the trap.

"Well, if it's to help my dear sister..." Nabiki let the suspense hang for a second. "I'll read through the book and tell you what I find for a discount."

Ranma and Akane both groaned.

"Take it, or leave it," Nabiki held out her hand.

Ranma and Akane looked at each other to see if there was another option. After a few seconds, they sighed in defeat.

"Fine," Akane said and shook her sister's hand.

"Anything you want to tell me to help expedite the process?" Nabiki asked.

"Will it give us a bigger discount?" Ranma asked.

"Maybe," Nabiki looked away innocently.

"Oh, you are something else, you know that?" Ranma grumbled. She counted off with her fingers while she gave Nabiki everything they knew. "All we know is rule number one: The tribe comes before honor. It has to deal with Shampoo leading as an Amazon, and for whatever reason, she's not pursuing her marriage to me while all of this is going on."

"Hmm, pretty juicy," Nabiki nodded. "Trying to off one of your fiancées, eh?"

"I'm not trying to off anybody," Ranma grumbled. "And there's no way I'm marrying her over some stupid law anyway!"

Akane started to growl at what Ranma was saying, but didn't say anything. She just wanted this conversation to end.

Nabiki figured her intel digging was done when she saw their usual spat about to happen. "Alright, I'll see what I find and let you know," she said.

"I guess that'll have to do," Ranma muttered.

"That's right," Nabiki declared victoriously as the three entered the family room.

"Good, everyone's finally here," Nodoka said as the three girls entered. "Kasumi, are you finished?"

"Yes, aunty," Kasumi called from the kitchen.

Nodoka scooped large bowls of rice for everyone while Kasumi brought out the last dish they'd prepared. The two women had gone all out for the feast that was meant to celebrate Nabiki's graduation as well as account for the extra food the men would need after training with their chi. Two roasted ducks as well as crisped chicken were the main course along with steamed fish, fried pork, and Nabiki's favorite, assorted tempura. There were also a number of vegetable and side dishes for all to enjoy.

"Wow, you really outdid yourselves," Akane said at the sight of the spread of food.

"Oh, my favorite, tempura!" Nabiki smiled.

"Well, it's not every day you graduate from high school," Nodoka smiled. "This is just a little something to celebrate the finished exams. We'll do something more appropriate after your ceremony."

"Oh, thank you aunty Saotome," Nabiki returned her smile. "But it's really no big deal."

"Now, now," Kasumi cut in. "Everyone gets a special dinner for finishing high school. Let's just enjoy ourselves."

"Well, okay, sis," Nabiki surrendered.

Everyone sat down at the table and waited for Soun to begin the meal. Once he did, they all started to dig in, especially the men who'd been training with Ranma.

"So, how is training going, my son?" Nodoka asked as she ate her rice slowly.

Ranma made sure to swallow her mouth full of food before talking. "I think it's going really great," she said. "I'm already lasting a lot longer than before."

Nabiki choked and stifled a laugh at what Ranma had said. She wanted to say something, but decided against it, since she didn't want anything to spoil the spread of food. She was also busy grabbing as much of the tempura as she could, particularly the shrimp.

"What's eating you?" Ranma asked.

Again, Nabiki had to struggle to not laugh. She gave Ranma a toothy grin, barely holding it together. _He's so clueless sometimes..._

Ranma thought Nabiki was acting strange, but knew better than to prod her. Engaging Nabiki in questioning was like signing over your will. "Anyways, Happosai's been intensifying my training each day. He's making sure I face new challenges and testing my limits."

"That's wonderful," Nodoka said.

"I'll admit, you've done rather well," Happosai said after consuming an entire bowl of rice in one gulp. He handed his empty bowl to Kasumi to refill. "Besides your little outburst today, you're moving along nicely. I think the group training is just what you needed."

Genma and Soun both grumbled at their master's words. Their bodies were sore from participating in the training, but they could do nothing if they were asked to help again. They knew Ranma needed all of the help he could get, and their honor demanded that they step in.

"Heh, one more day with all three of you and I should have this thing figured out," Ranma clenched her fist. She then started to eat pieces of the crisped chicken liberally.

"The 'ol four days or less, huh?" Happosai accepted his newly filled bowl from Kasumi. "I see you picked up your father's policy on learning the art. He always was an obsessed learner."

"Hey, it's worked so far," Ranma said. She really had learned most of her special techniques within four days of starting training. Her father had always stressed the importance of dedication to learning quickly, because in battle, you have to be quick on your feet. In hindsight, Ranma believed it was really because he didn't want to stay in one place too long.

"That may be, but I'll be the judge of your mastery," Happosai said. "Mastering control of your chi and aura is something that will take your whole life. As you learn more, and experience more, things will continually change with your chi."

"I don't have my whole life," Ranma said bluntly, although it meant more to her, Akane, and Kasumi than everyone else.

"Yes, which is why we must keep pushing," Happosai nodded. "The sooner you're ready, the sooner I can get back to my own training."

"How thoughtful of you," Akane grumbled.

"One must always pursue to better themselves in the art," Happosai said sagely. No one said anything to question his devotion to stealing bras and panties, or point out it's not a form of martial arts.

"Well, I'm up to the challenge," Ranma declared and handed Kasumi her empty bowl. She stuffed her mouth with duck and vegetables while Kasumi got her more rice.

"It's good that you're so dedicated," Soun said.

"Trust me, no one wants this 'stuck as a girl' nonsense to end more than me," Ranma said as she took back her bowl.

"That'a boy!" Genma said between mouthfuls. "Prove you're really a man among men!"

"But of course!" Ranma said, arrogantly.

Akane rolled her eyes. As much as she wanted things back to normal, she had to admit she was enjoying Ranma's humility during all of this. His cockiness really grated on her nerves sometimes.

The rest of dinner went much like how it began. People ate the food, and talked to each other without incidents of teasing or arguments. For perhaps the first time, everyone was acting like they were a normal family.

When dinner began to wind down, Kasumi and Nodoka started to gather the dishes. While the two women began to clean up the dining room, Nabiki excused herself to head up to her room. Soun and Genma set up their shogi board, and Happosai sat out on the porch next to them smoking his pipe. Ranma was the last to finish, and Akane just sat next to her thinking to herself.

Ranma handed her plate to Kasumi and thanked her for the big dinner. She got to her feet and stretched. "I'm going to get ready. I'll see you in the dojo," she said.

"Okay," Akane got up as well.

Nodoka came out of the kitchen with a pot of tea, a thermos, and some cups as Akane began to leave and stopped her. "Oh, Akane, would you mind helping Kasumi with the dishes tonight? I was just about to sit down for some tea," she said.

"Uh, sure, okay," Akane said and joined her older sister in the kitchen.

"I'll wash, and you dry," Kasumi said. "Wouldn't want you to get your bandage all wet."

"You can go enjoy tea with everyone," Akane said. "I'm sure you could get Ranma to help me with this."

"Oh, that's alright. I'll join them for tea soon enough," Kasumi said. "And besides, you have to wash dishes with warm water, and we can't be too careful." She started to hum a sweet tune while scrubbing the dishes.

Ranma waited until Akane was occupied with washing the dishes and then nodded to everyone in the family room. She took the thermos from the tray her mother had brought and left the room. She walked quietly to the front door and stood outside in the night air.

Taking deep breaths, Ranma felt her surroundings through the sixth sense she'd been developing the past week. While she couldn't sense much yet, larger, more powerful chi were detectable. Sure enough, she could sense the ice cold spot that represented Ku nearby. It was faint, but it was there.

"Well then... Let's see what happens," Ranma said to herself. She took one last look at the house behind her and then took off running. After a few blocks, she didn't feel any sign of pursuit. She stopped at a corner and waited patiently, feeling her surroundings.

There were a few people walking along the sidewalk and light traffic. Laughter and excited shouts could be heard echoing in the distance, most likely students celebrating the end of the school year. Ranma's newly trained senses picked up all of the passing life as faint warmth in the air. After a moment, there was no sign of Ku's icy aura around her.

"So far, so good," Ranma said and took to the roof tops to make better time.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

It wasn't until half an hour later Akane finally finished the dishes and changed into her gi. On her way to the dojo, she passed through the family room where everyone, but Nabiki, was enjoying tea quietly.

Kasumi had joined Nodoka at the table in the center of the room while the three men were still sitting on the porch like before. No one was saying anything, but that wasn't unusual. Quiet evenings of shogi and tea were some of the few moments of peace you could depend on in the Tendo home. Akane knew this, and didn't disturb their silent enjoyment of their thoughts.

Everyone took notice of Akane when she entered the room, but said nothing to acknowledge her. They all watched her quietly as she passed them, keeping up their act. Once Akane was gone, they all nodded, and Kasumi stood up.

They'd all been waiting for this moment since Ranma had come to them, one at a time, with his plan. It was risky, but Ranma was adamant, and everyone, even Happosai, had to admit they liked the reasons Ranma wanted to do it. Soun and Genma had been overjoyed, while Kasumi and Nodoka were abashed by his apparent manliness and devotion to Akane. Ranma denied all of it, but didn't waver in his intentions to see the plan through. Happosai, on the other hand, had thought Ranma was going to do something a little more aggressive, and couldn't wait for the details. Something about there being just enough time for a quickie.

Kasumi walked to the closet by the doorway and pulled out a set of clothing before following after Akane. When she got to the dojo, she saw her sister looking around the empty room, confused.

"Where did he go?" Akane asked herself. "Maybe he went inside the house because I was taking so long?"

The sound of the dojo door sliding shut behind her caught Akane's attention. She turned to see if it was Ranma, and was surprised to find her older sister standing there with a set of clothes in her hands.

"Kasumi?" Akane asked in surprise.

"Hello, Akane," Kasumi walked forward and held out what she'd been carrying.

Akane looked at the white top and pink dress Kasumi was holding, along with a train ticket and note. "What's this?" she asked.

"Ranma is waiting for you," Kasumi said and smiled.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** That's right. Male Ranma returns in the next chapter. Things may not end the way you expect, however. Will there be WAFF? Or will there be wrath? Find out, when I release a chapter I've been anticipating myself.

Things are really being written at a break neck pace. My usual pace is a chapter a week, if I'm lucky, but these are coming out 2-3 per week so far. I hope I'm not sacrificing quality in pushing out the story so fast.

I'd like to take this opportunity to ask if anyone reading this knows Japanese fairly well. I'd like to have the romaji for some of the special techniques that are going to come into the story in the next few chapters. So, if anyone thinks they can translate, shoot me a PM or say so in a review and I'll get in touch about it. I've discovered that Google translate now has a phonetics option, but would like someone with real knowledge of the language, if possible.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	14. Desire

Ryoga looked up at the stars in the early evening sky. He'd been wandering for over a week now, still not quite sure how he'd gotten lost on the way to the bathroom in the Tendo home. He was usually so good at finding it. He was just glad he'd stumbled back into the guest room after an hour to get his things. He had suspected another long journey was about to happen back then.

Sighing, Ryoga took a look around at his surroundings. He was in a large city that looked like it could be Tokyo, but he just wasn't sure. He felt like he'd been here before though.

As usual on his long travels, the lost boy's thoughts drifted to his supposed love. "Dear Akane, why must we be forced apart like this?" Ryoga asked himself. He looked back at the stars, the same stars Akane could be gazing upon. "When we meet again, I just know I'll finally find the courage to tell you my true feelings."

Deep in his heart, beyond his feelings for Akane, another emotion swelled. He was met with memories of his time with Akari, and felt a strain in his chest. He didn't want to hurt Akari, and certainly did feel something for her.

"I'm sorry, Akari," he whispered. "But if I am brought back to Akane, surely it must be fate."

Ryoga steeled himself to commit to his declaration and continued to walk through the city streets. He didn't know where he was, or how long it would take him to get where he was going. He only knew what he wanted to do when he got there, with no thought given to anything else.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter XIV: Desire**

* * *

Ranma got off the train and looked around. If everything was going as planned, Akane wouldn't be far behind her, probably only a train or two back. That allowed her some time to be sure.

While she hadn't felt Ku at all during the short train ride to the next district over from Nerima, Ranma didn't want to take any chances. She felt the air around her, reaching with all of her senses. Nothing. There was no ice, or feeling of foreboding.

"I guess he really doesn't suspect anything," Ranma said to herself.

Ranma looked at the thermos in her hand and decided that everything was going to work out. She left the train station and continued on her way at a brisk jog. While she hadn't been to this district much, she still had a handle on where she wanted to go. It wasn't long before she reached the park.

Ranma looked at the gate entrance to the park and a cart next to it. The cart was full of flowers, and a man standing by it was holding a few, calling out to people passing by to purchase one.

Ranma walked up to the cart and at the various different flower arrangements and single flowers. She remembered how happy Akane had looked the last time she'd received flowers in the park. It was a memory so important to Ranma, she'd gotten a photo of it so she'd never forget.

"It couldn't hurt," Ranma said, and picked out a single rose.

"Good evening, miss," the man by the cart smiled. He thought it was a bit unusual for a girl to be buying a rose, but didn't want to offend a potential customer. "A single rose is 500 yen."

"Okay," Ranma fished through her pocket for her money clip. She got out a 500 yen bill and handed it to the man.

"Thank you, miss," the man took the money, and the rose. He placed the stem in a plastic sleeve and returned it to Ranma. "Good luck."

"Er, thanks," Ranma stammered and took the rose.

She walked into the park and took a look around. The park was quiet this particular evening, which pleased Ranma. The fewer people that were around, the better. She really was worried it'd be full of people with it being a Friday night, and the first night after the end of the school year.

After a few minutes of walking around, Ranma found the fountain she'd been looking for. The small fountain was in a clearing in the park surrounded by benches and a couple of lamp posts to illuminate the area. The area was romantic by anyone's standards, but Ranma had a different reason for choosing this spot tonight. She needed the cold water nearby.

Ranma took a look around, noticing several couples in the area. They were all lost in their own little worlds, not paying the lone girl any mind. She left them to their privacy, looking for a spot with no one. After a short search, she found a bench off the pathway of the park with no one near it.

While the bench was a ways from the pathway, there was a lamp post by it. Ranma found the location curious, and bent down when she noticed some writing on the front of the bench.

_This bench is in dedication to those who may think they are lost._

_May you all find what you're searching for at this very spot, like we did._

"Heh... cute," Ranma said to herself. It was a little too much of a coincidence for her, but she didn't dwell on it. She sat down on the bench and juggled the thermos in one hand while she gently held the rose in the other. She hoped Akane got there soon.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Akane sat nervously as the train took her from Nerima to the neighboring district. While the note written by Ranma simply told her to meet him at a certain spot, Akane was already certain she knew what was going on.

Ranma had told her she might get to see him as a guy today when they separated last night. She'd completely forgotten about it because of exams and speaking to Cologne, but now she was anxious at the possibility.

Akane watched the city pass by as the train moved along its tracks. She drifted off and stared blankly as her thoughts focused on her fiancé. They still had a long way to go in coming to terms with everything that'd happened. Akane thought that she especially needed to address her conflicting feelings over Ranma's cursed form. She was also troubled by her inability to tell Ranma she loved him. Every time she tried, her voice just seemed to lock up.

Akane sighed at her failure to do what she wanted to the most. In the past, she'd convinced herself if Ranma ever declared such feelings for her that she'd be ready to say the same. As it turns out, that was just a fairy tale in her mind. In reality, she had hurdles to get over.

The conductor announced Akane's stop, and she stood up as the train slowed to a halt. She got off the train and recognized where she was. It would only be a short walk to the park that Ranma had indicated, but she wasn't sure what fountain he was talking about.

Akane walked to the park and began her search for the fountain. She assumed that it'd be in a clearing along the path, so she stuck to the walkway, rather than going over the grass.

It was a nice park, she thought while glancing around. The lamp posts illuminated the trees and grass with golden light, which had a beautiful glow against the night sky. It seemed to be a popular place for couples, as Akane spotted quite a few of them as she walked around by herself. She started to feel a little self conscious as a few noticed her. She hoped she found Ranma soon.

To Akane's delight, she came upon a fountain in a clearing surrounded by benches. She figured this must be it, and tried to spot Ranma nearby.

"Where could he be?" Akane asked out loud as she scanned the surrounding area. There were a few couples spread out along the benches, but no sign of Ranma, be it his girl or guy form.

Akane was a little frustrated that Ranma was nowhere to be seen. She didn't think a park of this size would have two fountains, so this had to be it. She talked around it once, looking along the area as she went, but still nothing.

Ranma watched Akane looking for her with a slightly amused smirk. She looked kind of cute the way she looked around a little nervously. Ranma didn't blame her for not seeing where she was right away and took pity on her. She kicked a small stone towards her, hoping the sound would get her attention.

Akane turned to the sound of a stone bounding off the ground behind her. She saw the small rock rolling towards her and looked up to where it'd come from once it stopped. Sure enough, there was Ranma in her red vest, sitting on a bench by a lamp post off the main pathway.

"Ranma!" Akane called as she ran over to the redhead on the bench.

"Hey," Ranma hid the rose behind her and stood up as Akane reached her. "You made it."

Akane nodded and looked at Ranma with obvious apprehension. She saw the thermos in Ranma's hand, and realized she had been right.

"So, exams go okay and everything?" Ranma asked.

"Er, yeah!" Akane answered. She thought it was strange that Ranma would ask that randomly, and eyed the thermos again.

Ranma saw Akane looking at the thermos and grinned. She tossed it into the air and caught it. "Expecting somethin?" she asked.

Akane didn't know how to respond to Ranma's teasing. She wanted to smack her, yell at her, but she also wanted her to just pour the damn water on her head. "Stop teasing me," she said softly.

"Hmm, I dunno. I kinda like this new side to you," Ranma smirked and spun the thermos on her finger. She enjoyed the look on Akane's face. It was adorable, although she'd never tell her that.

Akane growled at the possible insult and grabbed the thermos from Ranma's hand. She unscrewed the top and handed it back to her. "Just do it," she demanded.

"Alright, alright," Ranma took the thermos and turned around. "Just a few minutes," she said and poured the still hot water over her head slowly.

Akane watched wistfully as the water changed Ranma back into a man. She'd seen it hundreds of times before, but this time it took her breath away. Just the sight of him made her legs feel weak.

Ranma was unaware of the effect he was having on Akane, since his back was turned to her the entire time. He put down the thermos and picked up the rose he'd bought her before turning around. When he did, he lifted the flower to her and smiled. "It's not as many as last time," he said apologetically.

Akane took the rose and smiled. She'd never known Ranma to be so sweet, at least, not unless he had some other reason to be. Even the last flowers he'd gotten for her were part of some scheme to exact revenge on Nabiki. This time, she knew it was just for her, and the gesture made her feel wonderful.

"Thank you, Ranma," Akane said. She stepped forward and hugged him tightly. She immediately felt Ranma's warmth, and sighed against his chest. Everything felt perfect again.

Ranma flinched when Akane suddenly hugged him, just like last time. He recovered after a second and wrapped his arms around her, soaking in how soft she felt when held against him. He leaned down and inhaled her lavender scent.

He'd never paid attention to her whenever he had held her before, but now he was noticing every little detail. He was surprised at how small and gentle she felt in his arms. She was nothing like the uncute, wide bodied tomboy he'd made her out to be. Instead, she was as much a girl as anyone else, and a more amazing one in his mind.

Ranma had been thinking about what he was going to do this time, since he had planned things. Those plans were getting clouded by his desires though. He drifted deeper into the hug and started to rub Akane's back slowly. Akane let out an approving moan to Ranma's touch and did the same to him. She pulled herself against him and rubbed her cheek against his chest. She knew she wouldn't have him for long, and wanted as much of his warmth that she could get.

Ranma let out his own approving moan and moved one of his hands to her neck. Her skin was like silk when he touched it. He'd never imagined that they'd be this intimate so quickly, but there was such urgency to the time they were able to spend together. It was almost like they were secret lovers, and in some ways, they were. This development was their private treasure.

Unknown to Akane and Ranma, another teenager was now stumbling into the clearing where they were standing. Ryoga Hibiki was scratching his head wondering where this strangely lit forest had come from when he noticed the two lovers and ducked behind a bush.

Ryoga hated getting into situations like this. It was just awkward stumbling on people sharing a moment. He didn't want to embarrass the couple by revealing himself, so he peeked around the bush to see if they'd noticed him.

The couple remained embracing each other lovingly, completely oblivious to him watching them, much to Ryoga's relief. He looked a bit closer to see if it was possible to slip back the way he came, when he noticed that the girl looked a little familiar.

The girl's back was turned to him, but Ryoga couldn't help but notice that her hair was just like Akane's. Even that dress she wore was similar to one he'd seen her change into before, while in his cursed form. It couldn't be, could it?

"Akane?" Ryoga whispered to himself in wonder. He didn't want them to hear him just yet, just to make sure it was her.

Akane moved her hands up Ranma's back to his neck and massaged the muscles around it. They were hard, mirroring the power within them, but yielded to her hands.

Ranma loved the way Akane's hands felt on his muscles. It'd been so long since they'd felt any relief like this, with the cold baths and all. Every press of her fingers sent warm tingling sensations spreading through his shoulders and neck. Even the rose brushing against his skin felt nice.

"Akane," Ranma whispered. He moved his hand from her neck around to push her face up. As he looked into her eyes, he cupped her cheek with that hand.

_So beautiful._

Akane heard Ranma's voice in her mind and moaned at his unspoken thoughts. That mysterious bond that at once had felt scary now only magnified the fire that was spreading through her body. If this is what Cologne meant, she wouldn't fear it ever.

Akane sighed and rubbed her cheek against Ranma's hand. She stopped rubbing his shoulders and moved one hand to his chest while the other pressed against his neck. She was urging him to give her what she wanted.

_Kiss me._

Ranma felt Akane's gentle push on his neck and heard her soft voice in his mind. It sent shivers down his spine that left sparks on his nerves. He smiled at her unspoken request and brushed her lips with his thumb.

Akane tilted her face to kiss Ranma's palm after she felt him touch her lips. The simple touch beckoned her closer. She rubbed her cheek against Ranma's cradling hand and nearly purred at its gentle embrace.

_Ranma._

Again, Ranma heard Akane's desires in his mind. Her words were like a perfect drug to him. They made his body tingle, and his thoughts a haze as his desires matched hers. He wouldn't deny her any longer.

Ranma moved his hand from her cheek and cradled the back of her head. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and pressed her against him. He took a moment to look into her eyes, at the desire in them. He saw life shining in those eyes. The same life that now pulsed through him. He drew himself to that life, and slowly tilted down to kiss her.

When Ranma had cupped Akane's face with his hand, it caused her to pull back just enough for Ryoga to see him. While he still hadn't come to a conclusion over the girl's identity, the red Chinese vest was unmistakable. Ryoga felt hot with anger at seeing Ranma being so intimate. He could only conclude that the girl was Akane now.

_How dare he force himself on her like that!_ Ryoga thought. He immediately leapt out from the bushes and prepared to attack.

Ranma had just begun to tilt his head down to kiss Akane when he sensed danger. He paused what he was doing, much to Akane's disappointment. She whimpered slightly, wanting him to continue, but was drowned out by a sudden cry.

"Ranma Saotome, prepare to die!" Ryoga shouted and lunged at his hated rival with his umbrella.

Ranma turned Akane away from the attack and caught the tip of Ryoga's umbrella with his left hand.

Akane's body suddenly felt cold as the warmth she'd been sharing with Ranma suddenly vanished. She blinked and realized they were no longer alone at the sight of a furious Ryoga. "R-Ryoga?" she stuttered.

"Hey, Ryoga. I was wondering when you'd find your way back again," Ranma said sarcastically.

"And just in the nick of time, it seems," Ryoga growled.

"Is that so?" Ranma asked.

"That's right!" Ryoga jumped back a step to free his umbrella. He saw that Ranma was still holding Akane around her waist with his right arm and felt even angrier. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing to Akane?" Then he saw her bandaged hand, "And what happened to her hand? What did you do!"

"I'm not doing anything to her," Ranma retorted. "We're trying to have a moment of privacy. So, why don't you do what you're best at, and get lost?"

Ryoga growled at hearing the insult and clenched his umbrella tightly. "I'm going to wipe that damn grin off your face, Ranma!" he shouted.

"I'm not grinning," Ranma replied coldly.

"Shut up and fight!" Ryoga charged at Ranma with his umbrella again.

Ranma spun himself and Akane to roll past the attack and leave himself between her and Ryoga. He pushed off of Ryoga with Akane in his right arm and let her down once they'd landed a few feet away.

"You need to calm down, man!" Ranma shouted. "You could've hit Akane!"

By now, Ryoga was completely blinded by what he believed he'd seen, and twisted Ranma's words. "How dare you try to hide behind her!" Ryoga yelled even louder. "I won't let you use her like that!"

Ranma choked back his response and pushed Akane back. He knew Ryoga was beyond reasoning now, and simply had to guide him away from her.

"Ryoga, this isn't what you think!" Akane pleaded.

To Ryoga, those words only confirmed his claims. "Don't worry, Akane, I'll protect you!"

Ryoga ran at Ranma, prepared to strike. Ranma left Akane behind and charged Ryoga. While the lost boy attacked with his umbrella, Ranma had no intent of escalating the fight, and simply leapt over him.

"Stop running away, you coward!" Ryoga growled and turned around to swing again.

Ranma ducked under Ryoga's umbrella and slid back. This placed him in the large clearing with the fountain, which was quickly being evacuated by everyone at the sight of the two men fighting.

Ryoga was furious, attacking wildly. Ranma hadn't seen him this way in a long time, and wasn't sure if he'd be able to tire him enough to be able to talk it out. He also didn't want to fight back though, and attract unwanted attention.

Ryoga kept attacking with his umbrella and kicks as Ranma insisted on dodging. He hated the way Ranma mocked him this way. He hated how he always was so smug, because of his damn luck. He hated how he got to spend time with Akane while he was stuck wandering in search of her. He hated Ranma Saotome.

Ryoga let his emotions consume him, and attacked Ranma relentlessly. His body did not tire, despite putting all of his strength behind every swing of his weapon.

Akane watched Ryoga attack Ranma, afraid for what might happen. She didn't understand what was going on. Why had Ryoga suddenly attacked Ranma? Why couldn't they ever get away from everything?

"Would you two stop this!" she cried.

"Hear that, Ranma?" Ryoga asked, missing Akane's meaning entirely. "Akane's tired of waiting! Time to face your punishment, like a man!"

"Time?" Ranma looked up at the night sky. It was darker than when Akane had arrived, and Ranma mentally kicked himself. He'd been so consumed with how Akane made him feel he wasn't paying attention to how much time was passing by. He wondered just how long it'd been. He needed to get to the fountain, and fast.

Ranma saw the fountain next to Ryoga. There was no way he was getting through him to that water without wasting time. He could always just kick the idiot in with him, but he didn't want this evening getting any worse for anyone. Not even if they really did deserve it. There was only one way he saw for him to do this.

"No choice," Ranma muttered. He loosened his stance, nearly becoming limp, and vanished into the umi-sen ken.

Ryoga blinked when Ranma vanished before his very eyes. "Ranma?" he asked to the open air. He'd known Ranma to be full of tricks, but never had he seen him just vanish like that.

Akane saw Ranma vanish as well, and wondered what he was planning to do with the rarely used technique. She knew she wouldn't have to wait long though, since the umi-sen ken relied on speed to be successful.

As Akane thought, Ranma made his move just a few seconds later. He appeared behind Ryoga, right by the fountain, and splashed his face with cold water.

Akane felt herself being splashed as Ranma turned back into a girl. The once heated moment was now completely over. All of the passion she had felt for Ranma's male form was now turned to disappointment, and bitterness over being denied the kiss she'd wanted so desperately. These feelings forced their way through her control as tears threatened her eyes.

Ranma saw the emotions running through Akane's eyes and felt guilty over the way things had turned out. If she'd not spent so much time teasing or fooling around, they wouldn't have been interrupted before they kissed. Of course, it wasn't her fault that Ryoga had attacked her like that, but she wasn't going to blame it on him. Placing blame never seemed to work anyways.

Ryoga didn't notice Ranma make his move at the fountain, since his attention had been on Akane. At seeing her upset face, he believed he had just saved her from some awful crime. He didn't even think anything of the rose in her bandaged hand.

"It's ok, Akane," he said and walked over to her. "Ranma won't pull anything like that while I'm around."

How right he was, is exactly what Akane was thinking. All she could think about was how he'd just ruined what was one of the happiest moments of her life. Akane had never been good with her temper over even simple things, so something like this shot it through the roof. At times like this, her heart did the talking for her, and it made her slap Ryoga harder than she'd ever slapped anyone, even Ranma.

The impact of Akane's hand slapping Ryoga's face was hard enough to make Ranma's pigtail blow in the wind from its force. Even thought it wasn't being done to her, Ranma couldn't help but cringe at Akane's rage. She'd thought she'd seen Akane angry before. She was wrong.

Ryoga was stunned more from Akane committing the act than the force of the slap itself. As much as his cheek stung, his brain was shocked senseless. He did not understand why she would slap him, when he'd just stopped Ranma from forcing things on her.

Ryoga rubbed his burning cheek and turned to look at Akane. She was panting heavily, and looked angrier than he'd ever seen her. This wasn't just being upset over some small spat or accident. This was true, pent up, now unchained anger. It reminded him of the anger he felt towards Ranma, but that was impossible for her to feel that way towards him. Wasn't it?

"Akane?" Ryoga asked.

"You jerk! You stupid idiot!" Akane screamed as her body trembled from her bottled emotions. She was trying to keep herself under control, but it had been too much. She was in the process of letting her guard completely down when Ryoga had interrupted, and now it was impossible to reseal her feelings so quickly.

"Damn it," Akane growled. She clenched her right hand into a fist so tight, her knuckles turned white. "God damn it! All I wanted was a few minutes! Just a few minutes alone!" She started to sob as she vented her feelings. "Why does it always have to be this way?"

"It's ok, Akane," Ryoga said nervously. "He's gone now." He hoped his intuitions were correct, but they weren't.

Akane saw Ranma looking at her sadly. The small, red haired girl that was the man she loved just a few minutes ago. She hated the situation they were in, and wanted it to all go away. She didn't want to have to deal with all of the chaos just to hope for a few minutes with him.

"He's gone..." Akane muttered under her breath. She really didn't need any help realizing that fact. "You idiot!" Akane slapped Ryoga again, this time striking the other cheek with the back of her hand. "It's all your fault! You ruined everything!"

Akane had now completely lost it. Any grip she had on her control was gone. "Just get the hell out of here!" Akane shouted at the top of her lungs. She wasn't interested in hearing anything Ryoga had to say, and swiftly kicked him high into the air, and out of the park.

Ranma stood by the fountain nervously as Akane fumed after sending Ryoga flying. She had no idea how to handle Akane when she was like this, especially when her ire wasn't being directed at her. Should she be supportive? Maybe stern in insisting she have more control? Just keep quiet? Ranma didn't know, so she just went with option three.

Akane huffed at Ryoga when he finally vanished into the sky. She then looked at Ranma and just broke down completely. She didn't want Ranma to see her this way, and turned away before falling to her knees and crying.

Now, Ranma had entered an unknown land. Handling Akane when she was pissed off at someone other than her was already a daunting task. Handling her crying over t was beyond logic. Ranma did the only thing she thought she could handle. She attempted to direct the blame to herself. "I'm sorry, Akane," she said.

"You're sorry?" Akane asked between sobs. "For what? This wasn't your fault."

"I shouldn't have fooled around like that," Ranma said sheepishly. "I should have... I dunno... just kissed you?"

Akane's sobs subsided for a second as she laughed at Ranma's cluelessness. "You're such an idiot," she coughed.

"Does me being an idiot make you feel better?" Ranma asked, full of hope. She wanted Akane to turn around to look at her.

Akane laughed again, but kept her back to Ranma and returned to sobbing. "Don't you get it? I enjoyed the teasing," she admitted. "I liked acting like a normal couple for once. I enjoyed everything you did to me. I'm the one that's sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Ranma scratched her head nervously.

"Oh, Ranma," Akane's sobs became harder as she prepared to speak her heart. She knew this was going to hurt Ranma, but it was unbearable to keep it inside. "I'm sorry, because I'm ashamed."

"Ashamed? Isn't that a bit much?" Ranma tried to sound as light hearted as possible. She didn't like the way this was going.

"No!" Akane cried harder. "I'm ashamed... because...I've been so selfish about this. All I can think about is how you make me feel, and how much I want to see you as a guy."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Ranma blushed.

"But the real reason I'm ashamed, is because I can't look at you when you're a girl the same way as when you're a guy. I hate it that you're stuck being a girl like this. I'm ashamed at myself for being so selfish! ... And I'm sorry... I'm so sorry I can't accept you like this... I just..." Akane had said all she could say, and let herself cry freely.

Ranma felt her heart sink into an ice cold depth at hearing Akane's confession. It hit her where it mattered most, but she wasn't going to let it beat her. She didn't like the situation any more than Akane did. If she left Akane over her feelings, she had no right to even be mad at her, because it was surrendering, like a true coward. She steeled her heart against Akane's words. It wouldn't be this way forever, if she had anything to do with it.

Ranma knelt down next to Akane and rubbed her back gently. "Akane, it's okay," she said.

"How can you say that?" Akane said between heaving sobs. "You must think I'm terrible!"

"Well, no... I think you're... beautiful," Ranma said bashfully when nothing else came to mind. "Uh... that is... I mean... I never thought you were ever a terrible person," she stuttered in a very poor recovery attempt.

Akane sniffed, "and what about now?"

"Look at me."

Akane turned her head slowly, fighting back her tears as best she could. She had them down to sniffles by the time she was looking Ranma in the face.

Ranma examined Akane's face. It was red from crying. Her eyes were puffy, and her hair was a little messy. Her eyes showed the guilt she felt over what she'd just said. It was Akane without any of her defenses. It was the woman Ranma had always wanted to see. "Yeah, I still think you're pretty cute," Ranma said with a matter-of-fact tone.

Akane turned away. "Could you be serious for even one minute?" she asked, but in truth, she liked what she had said.

"Hey, I am being serious!" Ranma insisted sternly.

"What about what I said?" Akane asked.

"Well, that hurt..." Ranma admitted. "It hurt a lot."

"See?" Akane started to cry again.

"But, you're still stuck with me," Ranma added. "I can't really be mad at you anyways, when I feel the same way."

"What do you mean?"

"Promise not to laugh."

"I don't think anything could make me laugh right now."

"Well, okay. The truth is... I'm not interested in being with you when I'm a girl either. I know it's silly, because I feel the same way about you, no matter what, but I want to be the _man_ you're with. I want to hold you and protect you, and it's just never really felt the same as a girl. And, to be honest... I'm kinda glad you're not interested in my girl form that way."

"You are?" Akane perked up slightly.

"Oh, yeah! At least now I know you're not some macho chick lesbian!" Ranma laughed.

Akane was too emotionally drained to get angry over Ranma's bluntness. Instead, she did see the humorous side to their predicament, and laughed along with her, although not as heartily. "Idiot," she whispered and lightly jabbed her shoulder.

"Ha! And you said you didn't think anything could make you laugh," Ranma said smugly.

"Well, it seems your mouth truly knows no limits."

"Ha ha..." Ranma stuck her tongue out at Akane.

"Do you think you can... really forgive me?" Akane sniffed.

No answer came for a few seconds, and Akane looked back over to see nothing but open air where Ranma had been. She was about to break down again, feeling abandoned, when Ranma reappeared in the same spot out of the umi-sen ken.

"What the heck?" Akane asked.

Ranma smiled and raised the thermos. She shook it to show there was still some water and handed it to Akane. "What do ya say?" she asked.

Akane felt the weight of the thermos. There wasn't much water in it, less than half, but it was enough, she hoped. That hope made her forget her sorrow, and she tipped the thermos over Ranma's head.

Ranma felt the change and watched Akane's face light up. He wasted no time, and gently pushed Akane onto her back before kissing her passionately.

Akane was surprised by the intensity of Ranma's kiss, but threw her own caution to the wind. Everything she'd wanted earlier came flooding back, and she pulled him against her in desperate need, discarding the rose she'd been holding onto since they first met in the park. She felt his warmth again, and dug her fingers into his back, wishing she could have even more.

Ranma moaned at Akane's aggressiveness. It was even more intense than the last time they'd kissed, and that was already more than he'd ever dreamed of. This new level of passion was intoxicating to him, and he drew away from her lips to trail kisses along her neck.

Akane gasped at Ranma's boldness, but did nothing to deter him. Each kiss on her neck sent waves of desire through her. She didn't think they'd move this quickly, but she also didn't care. She didn't know when she'd see him again. She turned her head to the side, offering more of her neck to Ranma's lips. She then moved her hands to the back of his head and ran her fingers through his hair while pressing him against her neck, craving more contact.

_Yes, Ranma!_

Ranma moaned as Akane urged him on with her unguarded mind. If only he could give her everything she wanted now. His own desires were nearly overpowering him with their urgency, but he wrestled for control. Instead of continuing his journey downward, he slowly kissed his way back up her neck, softer than on his way down.

Akane felt the sudden change in Ranma's aggressiveness, and whimpered as his lips gently pecked up her neck. She knew what Ranma was doing, and didn't want him to. "No, please," she whispered.

Ranma groaned in reply to Akane's protest. He didn't want to stop, but he had to. Even the gentle kisses he gave her neck sent electricity through his cheeks. The lavender scent of her hair filled his nose and begged him to bury is face against her skin, but he did not break.

Ranma continued up Akane's neck slowly. Once he reached her jaw, he moved up to her cheek, planting soft kisses over her drying tears.

Akane sighed at Ranma's intimate gesture. She had no idea he could be so romantic. She relaxed under Ranma's kisses as he moved to her other cheek. Her heart was beating happily as his kisses literally breathed away what had made her so sad.

Ranma finished kissing Akane's cheeks and rested his forehead on hers. Their noses were barely touching as they both breathed deeply from what they'd just done. Their lips were only an inch apart. Their breaths were like the softest kisses caressing each other's lips.

_If only we had more time,_ Ranma thought.

Akane heard Ranma's wish, and felt the same way. She looked into his blue eyes. They were so full of desire, love, and just a touch of sadness. She'd never seen him so vulnerable before. No strong front to appear manly, or fake confidence. It was Ranma, as true as he could be. She knew he truly loved her because of those eyes, and she loved him too.

"Ranma, I..." Akane's voice caught in her throat again. She searched for the words she'd wanted to say, but they wouldn't come out. Even her mind seemed to lock up when she struggled to speak her feelings.

Ranma waited for her to finish. He even tried to actually hear her thoughts, but nothing came either way. He gave her an understanding smile. He could wait.

Ranma pushed a strand of hair behind Akane's ear with his right hand and then stroked her cheek. Akane sighed into his hand, relaxing into the end of their moment together. At that moment, a faint golden light shined where their chests were pressed against each other.

Ranma looked down at the golden light between their hearts with Akane. It was only the second time he'd seen this light, but he understood it already. This was what made what they shared so special. He looked over at the discarded rose and picked it up. He held it in front of Akane's face until she reached up and took it. "Until we meet again," he said.

Akane gazed at the rose as Ranma stood up and ran to the fountain. It's stem had been damaged by the events of the evening, but it was still the most perfect rose she'd ever seen as it was illuminated in the now fading golden light of her heart. She brought it to her nose and inhaled its sweet scent. The smell of roses would forever remind her of this night.

Akane sat up slowly. She was still feeling slightly euphoric from Ranma's affections. By the time she stood up, Ranma had changed back into a girl and was looking back at her with a slight smile.

"Let's head home," she said.

Akane nodded. She held the rose gently so as not to damage it further and joined Ranma to leave the park. The night had not started or ended how she'd expected, but she was contented by it. She didn't know how long it'd be until next time, but she would remember this night to remind her that it was worth the wait.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ryoga cried out in pain and shock to the sudden blow he'd only ever seen Akane use on Ranma. His whole world had been turned upside-down in a matter of seconds. _Was she so angry that she'd just completely snapped?_ He wondered. _Ranma will pay for this dearly!_

As Ryoga decided on what he was going to do, his long flight came to its crashing end into a body of cold water. _Of course..._ he groaned as his body shrank into his cursed form. _Damn you, Ranma! This is all your fault!_

P-chan struggled to break the surface of the water and paddled desperately to the rocky edge. He oinked and squealed frantically, cursing Ranma for causing him this new misery.

"Oh, it's Akane's pet pig," a girl suddenly said.

"Bwee?" P-chan looked up to see Akane's older sister, Kasumi standing over him.

"Why, hello there, P-chan," Kasumi smiled. "It's been so long. Akane will be so glad to see you."

P-chan bweed happily as Kasumi pulled him out of the water. That was right. Akane _would_ be happy to see him, just like she always was. She wasn't mad at him. It was all a misunderstanding.

"Oh my, your cheeks are all swollen," Kasumi said when she looked at the little piglet closely. They were slightly red too. "Did someone hit you?"

_It's all that damn Ranma's fault! He's the reason Akane hit me!_ P-chan squealed angrily.

"Well, you're safe now," Kasumi smiled. "There you go," Kasumi dried P-chan with her apron and put him down on the porch. "Unfortunately, Akane's out with Ranma right now, but they shouldn't be long."

P-chan gave an angry growl at the mention of Ranma and squealed his protests over him forcing Akane to spend time out with him. Kasumi only giggled at the little pig's outburst.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak pig," she joked. She really did find it odd that a pig could be so complex in its behavior. It was like it really understood Japanese.

P-chan huffed and snorted his frustration. If only she could understand what he was trying to tell her. He'd love to see how the most homely Tendo sister would react at learning Ranma was doing such dishonorable things to Akane.

"Well, you go run along to her room," Kasumi said and waved the pig off. "I still have one last chore to do."

P-chan nodded and turned to run down the hall. He was good at finding Akane's room, evidence that they were meant to be together, he believed. She'd be happy to see him in there, like she always was. She would tell him everything, and reveal it was all a misunderstanding, and lament on mistaking Ryoga for Ranma in her anger. That's exactly what was going to happen, the pig thought.

P-chan hopped up the stairs and found Akane's room, but its door was shut. He squealed sadly and jumped several times to try to turn the knob, but couldn't manage to twist it enough.

"Oh, what's this?" a woman said.

P-chan oinked in question and looked at the woman whom had snuck up on him. He recognized the kimono clad woman as Ranma's mother, Nodoka.

"You must be this infamous pet pig I've heard about," she said sweetly. "Are you trying to get into Akane's room?"

P-chan nodded and oinked an affirmation.

"Well, it wouldn't be right for me to intrude upon her," Nodoka said, to which P-chan oinked sadly. "But we can't have you out here making such a ruckus. I'm sure Akane won't mind."

Nodoka opened the door to Akane's room enough to let P-chan through. Once the little black piglet was inside, she closed the door behind him.

P-chan looked around the dark room. He could smell her lavender scent in the air and whiffed it in greedily. _Ah, my dear Akane, how sweet you smell. _P-chan oinked happily. He hopped up onto Akane's bed and took his spot on her pillow. He couldn't wait for her to come home to him.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Ah, what a chapter. I'll be honest, the original draft did not have that second scene with the thermos. I had originally planned on Akane's night really being ruined, but it just seemed way too cruel in the end. It also didn't quite fit with the next couple major events involving her, since her emotional state would be completely different. This one went through several read-throughs and edits to try to get that emotional break down and recovery just right.

I do realize that their relationship has moved at a fast pace. I have always viewed Ranma and Akane's relationship as a situation shaped by extreme circumstances. For my story, it took a very extreme event for them to finally break through their barriers, and it's extreme circumstances that cause them to make their decisions. I think it's understanding for two people who've faced death together on so many occasions to express themselves like this when they finally do. Don't get me wrong. I do like the light hearted, all is well approach that some Ranma+Akane stories take. I'm just taking a more extreme approach to things, because this is a story that involves love, not one that centers on it being nurtured.

As for Ryoga, I know I've made him appear kind of hard. There's a lot of opinions out there about Ryoga and his feelings over different characters. Ultimately, I think that Ryoga does have a noble heart, but I also think that he truly does hate Ranma. I don't think they really have this "sense of honor friendship" that so many people have written into their stories.

Yes, it's true, Ryoga isn't always out to kill Ranma in the anime/manga. It is also true that he's begrudgingly left Ranma in peace, but look at those circumstances. In every case, it's because he has something to gain, be it a cure, Akane's affection, private time with Akane, or even just appearing in a better light than Ranma. The times he's relented and left, it's always been with the goal to come back and exact his revenge eventually. Ryoga, in my opinion, just hates Ranma to the very core, because he allows his feelings to train wreck and is "drunk" on them at times. While it can be argued that he's not in his right mind when he's like that, I just don't think you sink that far so often unless the hatred is real. And yes, I do think he's this dense when he's P-chan.

On the flip side, I don't think Ranma hates Ryoga, but is annoyed by him to near the breaking point at times. Ranma has shown to rarely hate anyone, unless they hurt or threaten Akane. Ryoga doesn't fit that requirement, so he gets a pass.

**AliceTheBookGirl:** You can definitely expect this bond to be an important part of one or two upcoming battles. The thoughts I didn't factor into combat as of yet. It's more of a sappy intimacy thing for now.

**kimiwoaishiteru18:** It's funny you should say that, because I'm writing this to be "movie" length.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	15. Confessions

Ranma and Akane sat quietly on the mostly empty train that was taking them back to the Nerima district. They'd been quiet most of the trip home thus far, both opting to leave each other to their silent thoughts over everything.

Akane had spent most of that time looking at her rose happily. She was lost in her own little world as she gazed at the flower.

Ranma had noticed how much Akane seemed to like looking at the rose she'd given her. She was really glad everything worked out, and that Akane was so happy now. It would have been tough coming home with the state Akane was in after Ryoga's interruption.

It was hard to really think about doing things like this under the circumstances they were in. Any kind of intimacy was of course dangerous in their home. Their parents were on the constant prowl to find an excuse to get them married for some stupid reason or another. If they were caught, it would be over before they knew it. That was the normal song and dance though.

The real trouble now was that Ranma couldn't be a guy for very long, and not at all in the house. She'd sensed Ku there for nearly two days now, and took a chance on seeing if he followed her away from it. Ku had not, so she was able to share a few minutes with Akane as a guy in the next district over. While it had been nice, Ranma wasn't sure if they'd be able to do it again. It was possible Ku was catching on, and would follow her out of the house next time.

Ranma turned to look out of the window at the passing skyline. She reached out with her sixth sense to feel for Ku's icy presence. She wondered if he'd gone to look for her once she'd turned into a guy.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter XV: Confessions**

* * *

To Ranma's relief, she felt no sign of Ku on their journey home. At no time did she sense the demon lurking nearby, but she had no intentions of letting her guard down. She had stopped several times while they walked home from the train station to feel their surroundings.

Akane wondered why Ranma had kept stopping to look around, but figured she was just looking out for Ku. She was nervous as well, but wasn't too worried, since Ranma was a girl again. As long as Ku didn't know about the curse, they were safe, she believed.

When they got to their house, Akane stopped Ranma at the gate. It was late, and most of their family would be asleep by now, but she wanted to be on the safe side. "Thanks for doing this for me, Ranma," she said.

"Hey, don't mention it," Ranma smiled. "Just enjoy it while you can. We gotta make up for missing tonight's training tomorrow."

"And just like that, the magic is gone," Akane said flatly as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey! You know I'm not good with this kind of stuff," Ranma grumbled and kicked her foot out sheepishly.

Akane sighed. Ranma spoke the truth when she said that. It was amazing how poor he could be with words when his actions were so spot on with what a girl dreams about their man doing.

"Well, I'll let it go, this time," Akane said and flicked Ranma's nose with her rose. She giggled at the confused look on Ranma's face and walked through the gate.

Ranma scratched her nose were Akane had flicked it. "That was strange," she said to herself and followed Akane into the house.

Ranma paused after locking the door to search for Ku one last time. Not entirely to her surprise, there was no sign of the icy presence nearby. Ranma believed Ku would go in search of him if she turned back into a guy, and that seemed to have happened.

What that meant for the immediate future was open for debate. Ranma hadn't been open about her sensing Ku nearby with anyone, but she was sure that Happosai could also feel it. There was just no way that her master hadn't noticed it over the past few days. He was far superior to her, when it came to the sensing of chi.

Ranma wondered how long it would be, before Ku came back. She wondered how good the demon was at sensing chi from such a great distance, but he obviously had done so the past three times she was a guy. Each time he had changed, Ku had come for him, and found him. This time, they were lucky, because Ku was too far away to reach them before Ranma changed back into a girl.

Ranma sighed. Tonight had been risky, but it was worth it, she thought. Whether or not she'd do it again though, was another thing entirely. If anything, she was finding reinforced motivation to train now. Her growing concerns over Ku were demanding more immediate attention each passing day.

She also wouldn't mind having more time to explore what was happening between her and Akane. Spending a couple minutes as a guy with Akane was exhilarating, since it caused them to be more intense, but it also sucked having to suddenly stop. Just thinking about it made her feel warm and tingly inside.

Ranma shook her thoughts from her head and went straight upstairs to get ready for bed.

Akane watched Ranma head upstairs before walking towards the kitchen, which still had its light on. She entered the kitchen to see Kasumi busying herself preparing food. "What's all this?" she asked.

"Oh, welcome home, Akane," Kasumi said. "It's just for tomorrow's breakfast. I wanted to get a head start on it so it's ready to be cooked."

"Oh," was Akane's simple reply.

"How did things go with Ranma?" Kasumi asked. She eyed the rose. "That's a pretty flower."

Akane glanced at the rose in her hand and smiled. "Thanks. Ranma gave it to me," she flushed slightly. "Everything went... okay, in the end."

"In the end? Did something unexpected happen?"

"You might say that," Akane grumbled. She didn't want to remember how things fell apart when Ryoga attacked Ranma. "But everything worked out, so it's not important."

"That's good," Kasumi smiled at her younger sister.

"Anyways, I'm glad you're here. I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Go right ahead, Akane."

"Well, it's kind of hard to say..."

Kasumi heard the hesitation in Akane's voice and sat led her to the family room where she sat down with her. "Just think it through and tell me what's troubling you."

Akane thought about how to say what was on her mind. It hurt to think about it, and she lowered her head before she spoke. "When I was with Ranma, things kind of fell apart for a while," she said. She didn't want to go into details, if she didn't have to, so she left out the part about Ryoga. "I got really upset, and lost control. I... told him I couldn't look at him as a girl in the same way as when he's a guy."

"Oh my," Kasumi spoke softly. "How did he take the news?"

"He told me it hurt him a lot," Akane sniffled slightly. "He said it was alright, and we made up, but I know it's not going to go away."

Kasumi was quiet for a moment as she thought about Akane's story. She'd never really considered how Akane may feel in accepting Ranma's curse, but now she wondered how she'd managed to brush it off for so long.

Back when they first met him, Kasumi foolishly assumed Akane would be okay with it, since she was so adamant about hating boys. She even joked that Ranma being half-girl was lucky for Akane. It had been an excuse to get out of being Ranma's fiancé, of course, but she still said it. To see her sister actually breaking down emotionally over it though, it just broke Kasumi's heart.

"Oh, Akane," Kasumi hugged her sister and rubbed her back. "I'm sure you and Ranma can work through this. You've been through too much to let something like this affect you."

"You should have seen his face, Kasumi," Akane sobbed into her sister's shoulder. "I felt horrible when I saw how sad he was over it."

"I don't understand," Kasumi said. "What brought it up? What happened?"

Akane gulped. There was no way to explain what happened without the full story. Explaining it in detail also meant reliving it, and that was something Akane didn't want to do. "It's a really long story," she said.

"Akane, sometimes it's best to just let things out. I can't help you if you hide things from me."

Akane groaned sadly. Her sister was right, as usual. She took a deep breath and prepared herself to relive the rollercoaster of a night.

Over the next five minutes, Akane explained how everything had gone since she met Ranma in the park. She left out the more romantic pieces, although her blush was telling enough as Kasumi gave her a bashful smile when she glazed over the details. When she got to where Ryoga interrupted, she nearly choked on her feelings over it. Just remembering it like this made her feel angry.

"I can see how that would be upsetting," Kasumi said as Akane took a moment to calm down. She didn't understand why Ryoga would attack Ranma and Akane while they were doing something so intimate. "That was quite rude of him."

"You don't even know the half of it," Akane growled. "He's usually so nice, but it was completely unprovoked this time."

"So, what did you do?"

"Well, when I saw Ranma had turned back into a girl I just completely lost it," Akane looked down towards the ground as she spoke. "I sent Ryoga flying, and that's when I broke down. Ranma tried to take the blame, which made me feel even worse. That's when I told him everything about how I felt."

"So, you said it, because you didn't want Ranma feeling guilty about how things turned out?"

"I guess so... It's not like it was his fault, or anything," Akane started to sob softly. "But it was so stupid to tell him that... He was devastated! I feel awful about it still..."

Kasumi hugged Akane and rubbed her back soothingly. "There, there," she cooed into her ear. "That means you care, and want to make things right with him."

"I do," Akane said. "I don't want things to end over something so stupid."

Kasumi broke the hug and held Akane at arm's length by her shoulders. "I thought you already made up?"

"We did, but we didn't address the problem. We just... you know..." Akane looked away and blushed.

"Oh my," Kasumi also blushed. "Leave it to Ranma to act, rather than talk."

Akane laughed with her sister. "Don't worry, his mouth still had its way."

"Oh my," Kasumi blushed again and put her hand over her smile.

"Er, not what I meant!" Akane quickly said.

Kasumi chuckled at Akane's flustering. "Well, Akane," she took her sister's hands. "I can't help you with this."

"You can't?" Akane was surprised that her sister had no words of wisdom. She always seemed to have some sagely advice about these kinds of things hidden behind that warm smile of hers.

Kasumi shook her head. "I think it's best that you spoke to Ranma's mother about it."

"You do?" Akane asked, stunned. She didn't like the idea of talking to Ranma's mother. She was always so full of hope about her and Ranma being together, and telling her what she said would probably bring out the katana, the only question is who she'd be pointing it at. Just thinking about it sent shivers down her spine.

Akane didn't want to get Aunty Saotome's hopes up either, though, by telling her about the good parts. Ranma's mother was really sweet in how she wanted Ranma to be everything he could be, even if she was a little crazy about it. Akane could already picture the woman boasting about how manly her son was at learning they'd kissed. That sent different shivers down her spine.

"Well, who better to talk to than the woman that learned to accept Ranma's curse and still think he was a man amongst men?" Kasumi asked.

"Well, I guess you're right..." Akane trailed off in thought. Kasumi was right, she thought. Aunty Saotome had learned to accept Ranma, even though his curse was basically the exact opposite of what she dreamed of him becoming. Akane wasn't sure how to approach Ranma's mother though.

Aunty Saotome was a sweet woman that made Akane think of her own mother. She remembered how Ranma looked when he dreamed of reuniting with her, and receiving her acceptance, even though it could have cost him his life. Every time Akane spoke to her, she also craved her acceptance, and it made her really nervous.

Kasumi saw the uncertainty in Akane's eyes and squeezed her hands in a sign of support. "She sweeps the front entrance tomorrow morning," she said. "You can talk to her then."

"Uh... okay," Akane surrendered to her sister's insistence.

Kasumi giggled warmly, "Now, run along to bed."

"Alright, goodnight, Kasumi," Akane hugged her sister.

Akane opened the cabinet over the sink and got a small clear cup. She filled it with water and placed her rose into it before finally leaving the kitchen. Kasumi watched her leave and smiled.

Akane walked up to her room and yawned. It'd been such a long day. It was hard to believe it was still the same day she'd taken final exams. She was definitely going to sleep in and skip her jog tomorrow.

Akane put the small cup with the rose in it on her desk and then opened her closet. She started to undress to get ready for bed when something stirred on her bed.

P-chan had fallen asleep waiting for Akane to come home, and was finally waking up when she as down to just her bra and panties. He saw his love in all her glory and got excited.

"Bwee!" P-chan squealed happily.

Akane looked over to the sound of the familiar squeal and beamed happily. "P-chan!" she opened her arms for her pet pig.

P-chan hopped from the bed to Akane's loving embrace. _Oh, my dear Akane!_ P-chan oinked. He nuzzled Akane's bosom, glad that he had been right about her being happy to see him. _At last, I return to your warm, loving embrace!_

"P-chan, I'm so happy to see you!" Akane hugged her little pet tightly. It'd been so long since she last saw him. She was starting to think he'd never come home.

_That's right, you're happy to see me, not Ranma!_ P-chan squealed and rubbed his snout against her left breast.

"Oh, P-chan, I have so much to tell you," she said and put him down on her bed. "Let me finish changing for bed."

P-chan gave an affirmative oink and sat to watch Akane change into her pajamas. He blushed when she unclasped her bra, but didn't turn away like he used to. If she was comfortable, he was comfortable.

Akane finished putting on her yellow pajamas and laid on her bed. She lifted P-chan in her hands and smiled up to the giddy little pig.

"So much has happened since I last saw you, P-chan," she said as P-chan floated over her in her hands. "I don't know where to start."

P-chan wanted to know everything, and oinked to try to get the message across. Akane lust looked back and giggled.

"Well, I'll just tell you about what's happening with Ranma," she smiled dreamily.

_Here it comes,_ P-chan grinned. He was so consumed with anticipation of the story of Ranma's folly that he didn't even notice Akane was so happy.

"P-chan, it's so wonderful, I can't believe it," Akane said.

_Wonderful? Did Ranma finally leave? _P-chan oinked happily. _Haha! Maybe Akane booted him in the other direction! That must be it! She was just sending me here to wait for her!_

"Ranma told me he loves me," Akane nearly squealed. Her skin nearly glowed from her bright smile.

_What! He did what! How dare he! He doesn't love you! I do! What did you do, Akane? Tell me you showed him his place! _P-chan oinked angrily.

Akane didn't notice P-chan's anger over what she'd said and continued while the piglet began to squirm in her hands. "Oh, P-chan, if only you'd been there," she said.

_Yeah! I would have helped chase him off! That bastard! _P-chan nodded.

"He was so romantic when he kissed me," Akane sighed as she remembered Ranma's warm lips on hers.

_He... WHAT! _P-chan's eyes bugged out and he started to squeal frantically. He was now squirming desperately to escape Akane's hold on him. What he was hearing was just too much for him, and his own emotions were getting the better of him.

"P-chan, relax! What's the matter with you?" Akane held onto the struggling piglet tightly. "What has you so worked up?"

_I'm going to kill him!_ P-chan squealed. _How dare he do this to Akane! She deserves better than him!_

"Honestly, you're just like Ryoga," Akane groaned as she continued to fight with the piglet in her hands.

_I am?_ P-chan's eyes glimmered. _Oh, Akane, that makes me so happy! I knew you felt the same for me!_

"He freaked out over Ranma and me too," Akane nearly growled.

_That's right. It was only right for me to come to defend you from him!_ P-chan nodded and oinked sternly. _I'll always protect you!_

"He nearly ruined such a wonderful moment," Akane squinted at the mere memory of Ryoga's untimely interruption. She subconsciously began to clench her hands tightly, causing P-chan to panic.

_Ouch! That hurts, Akane! You should be doing this to Ranma, not me! _P-chan cried.

Akane suddenly realized what she'd been doing and loosened her grip. "Oh, I'm sorry, P-chan!" Akane hugged the piglet to her chest. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

P-chan snorted happily as it rubbed its snout against Akane's chest.

"I'm mad at Ryoga, not you," Akane said.

_You're mad at... ME? _P-chan stopped snuggling into Akane's chest and looked at her sadly. His eyes began to tear up. _How can you say that?_

"But don't you worry," Akane smiled at the black piglet. "Ranma made me feel so much better when he kissed me after Ryoga was gone."

_No! This isn't the way it's supposed to be!_ P-chan oinked loudly. _How can this be possible!_

"Oh, Ranma," Akane sighed dreamily. "If only I could tell him how I feel."

_Ranma..._ P-chan slowly squinted evilly.

Ryoga had never been one for remembering things clearly once he let his emotions get the better of him. Back when Ranma and Akane had their failed wedding, he'd actually come to terms that it was probably inevitable. The present was always stronger than the past in Ryoga's mind, however. Finding himself in this situation, he forgot his begrudging conclusion from back then, and focused entirely on his delusions of the present.

_This is all your fault! You tricked Akane into hating me! I just know it! You no good, lying bastard! _P-chan snorted angrily. He suddenly nipped Akane's bandaged hand, causing her to yelp and release the black piglet.

"P-chan, what did you do that for?" she asked. She tried to pick up her pet again, but P-chan avoided her and gave her a hurt look. "What's the matter with you?"

P-chan looked at Akane with a mixture of anger and sadness. He didn't understand how everything could have gone so horribly wrong, but he was convinced that it was all one giant mistake. He just knew it was something Ranma did, and it had to be righted.

P-chan spun around and leapt for the door knob. He managed to turn it and swing the door open with what little weight he had. He slipped out of Akane's room and ran down the hall with Akane chasing him.

"P-chan!" Akane called after the runaway piglet. She tried to run as softly as possible so she didn't wake anyone up.

With a stroke of luck, P-chan found the guest room Ranma shared with his family on his first try. He easily slid the door open with his snout and glared at the red head.

Ranma was already asleep on her futon next to her parents. Genma was in his panda form, snoring away while Nodoka was sleeping peacefully a good distance away from the other two with her family blade cradled in her arms.

P-chan advanced on Ranma slowly. He growled as best as a piglet could and glared daggers at the cause of his suffering.

Akane reached the open sliding door and tip toed in after P-chan. "P-chan, get over here," she whispered sharply. "Don't you dare wake up Ranma."

P-chan ignored Akane and continued to slowly sneak up on the sleeping girl.

"P-chan, no!" Akane warned her pet.

P-chan still didn't listen. He was upon Ranma and reared its hind legs to leap. He glared at Ranma's peaceful snoring face and jumped right for it with his fangs out.

"P-chan!" Akane shouted. She jumped after her pet and caught him before he could scratch Ranma's face and wake her. P-chan struggled in her grasp, trying to break free and continue his assault on Ranma. "Cut it out!"

Ranma stirred slightly, causing Akane to freeze. She mumbled something and scratched her nose, but didn't seem to be awake. She just rolled over and resumed snoring, although not as loudly as before.

P-chan was oinking madly at Ranma the whole time, but still couldn't break free of Akane's hold. Akane stepped back and glared at her struggling pet. "Let him sleep," she said sternly.

P-chan looked at Akane's warning glare. He remembered when Akane would give Ranma that look to protect _him_, and not the other way around. This only brought back the pain of being tossed aside by Akane for Ranma that he'd felt a minute ago. He looked at Akane sadly and bit her hand, this time the un-bandaged one. He had to get away.

"Ouch! P-chan!" Akane cried and dropped the piglet. She rubbed her hand where it had been bit. There were two red spots where the piglet's fangs had nipped her.

P-chan landed on his feet and immediately pounced for Ranma. Akane couldn't catch him this time, and he dug his hoofs into Ranma's cheek before initiating his scratching attack on her eyes.

Ranma snorted awake and turned onto her back flailing her arms and legs. "Ah! What the hell!" she screamed. "Get it off!"

Akane tried to grab P-chan away, but the piglet jumped off of Ranma and ran off. Akane lost sight of her pet when Ranma sat up and rubbed her face.

Ranma had no idea what had just attacked her, but it felt vaguely familiar. She rubbed her eyes groggily and let them focus before looking around. The only thing she saw besides her sleeping parents was Akane kneeling next to her.

"Akane?" Ranma groaned. "What's going on?"

"Ah, sorry, Ranma," Akane said. "It was P-chan."

"P-chan?" Ranma grumbled. She just knew Ryoga would find a way to stick around once he showed up. "What'd the baconator wake me up for?"

"I don't know," Akane confessed. Then she squinted at Ranma and pointed at her accusingly. "Did you pick on him again?"

"As if," Ranma glared back at her. "I went straight to bed when we got home."

"Well, he's certainly mad at you over something," Akane continued to point at Ranma.

"Oh, there's a big surprise," Ranma scoffed. "The little piggy's always mad at me."

"Because you pick on him!" Akane growled. "Honestly, Ranma, he's just a little pig."

"I didn't pick on him," Ranma insisted. "I didn't even know Hampton Porkshire was in town! I was out all night with you, or did you already forget?"

Akane blushed. She'd never forget what they'd done this night. "Of course I didn't forget," she said softly. "How could you even say that?"

"Because you always side with the pig over me."

"It's just a pig! There's no reason to get jealous!" Akane was now starting to get angry at Ranma.

"There's always a reason to get jealous!" Ranma shouted without thinking. Past events had left her once impenetrable defenses weakened, allowing measures of truth to come out.

The two teens shouting had yet to stir the panda next to them, but Ranma's mother was now waking. She immediately recognized the two shouting voices. She wondered what was going on, but didn't speak, or give any indication she was awake. Instead, she pretended to still be asleep and listened.

Neither of the teens noticed that Nodoka had stirred ever so slightly for a second. They were too busy glaring at each other over their argument.

Akane slapped Ranma. She couldn't believe how stupid she was being. "Really Ranma? Jealous of a pig? How stupid can you be!"

"I'm stupid, huh?" Ranma glared into Akane's eyes. She had a list of insults to go through, but instead chose to not give the girl the satisfaction of having her riled up. She turned her back to Akane and laid back down. "Go back to your damn pig, then, and leave your _stupid_ fiancé alone."

Akane glared at Ranma's back, but couldn't think of anything to say. Her anger was left unsatisfied by the small spat, but Ranma's move didn't leave her with an opportunity to continue without being the instigator. She much preferred it when she could blame it all on Ranma afterwards.

"Well, fine, then, I will!" Akane shouted. She got up and stomped to the door.

Ranma didn't say anything as Akane stomped away. She just laid there, waiting for her to get the hell out so she could openly vent over Ryoga's pitiful existence.

Unknown to anyone in the room, P-chan had watched the whole thing and was now grinning in the corner. After seeing Akane slap Ranma, and come to his defense, he was convinced that he'd over reacted. Of course Akane loved him more than that stupid Ranma.

P-chan dashed out of the room as Akane reached the door. Akane didn't notice the little black piglet running past her feet and turned around to look at Ranma from the doorway. She was disappointed when Ranma didn't look back. Something inside of her wished that Ranma had turned around so they could work things out.

It was obvious that Ranma was upset with her with the way she was curled up on her futon. She hated how they always let things hang between them. She wouldn't come crawling to him though. Ranma was the man, so he should be the one apologizing. That's how it worked.

"Idiot!" she scowled and slid the door shut.

"Stupid tomboy," Ranma muttered after she heard the door slide shut. "Thinking I'm jealous over a stupid pig. Too damn thick headed to realize I'm jealous over her giving something more attention than me! It could be a damn lawn chair, for all I care!" Ranma clenched her hands tightly in frustration.

Nodoka listened to her son rambling on with her lips curled into a smile. She was so proud to know her son felt so strongly for Akane's affections. She wanted to embrace her son at that moment, but knew it would only cause him to deny everything. She continued to pretend to be asleep.

"If only she knew," Ranma grunted. She was now punching her futon. "Stupid Ryoga, using his damn curse to sneak into bed with her! If it weren't for my damn promise, I'd..." Ranma made a choking motion with her hands.

Nodoka was now deeply disturbed by what she was hearing. She understood that Ryoga was that strange boy that passed by every now and then, insisting on having a fight with Ranma. She had no idea what Ranma was talking about, but he seemed to think Ryoga was somehow sneaking into bed with Akane? What kind of promise could cause Ranma to stand by and allow such a thing? That was most unmanly.

Nodoka eyed the katana in her hands and slipped out the blade slowly. She watched the moonlight shine on the fine blade, but made no move to get up.

"Goddamn Ryoga and that stupid pig curse," Ranma muttered. "I'm gonna..." Ranma hit her futon so hard the floor underneath cracked. "He's a dead man..."

_Pig curse? Then that black piglet is... Ryoga? Could it be?_ Nodoka couldn't believe what she'd just heard. If it was true, and Akane had no idea, a great dishonor was being done to her, and she'd helped the boy commit it when she let the pig into her room. But, if Ranma knew... his behavior was most unmanly, and unbecoming of someone engaged.

Nodoka looked at her katana again and returned the blade to its sheath. This situation was more complicated than she'd thought, and she wanted to be sure of what was going on. If what her son said was true though... she'd deal with the pig first, and then her gutless son.

Ranma continued to mutter as she struggled with her feelings. "Damn it, Akane... how can you be like this after what we've done?" she asked sadly. "It's like... it doesn't even matter that I love you when that dumb pig is around."

Nodoka had to stifle her gasp at Ranma's confession. She'd always known Ranma had feelings for Akane, deep down inside, but she'd never heard him confess like this before. Had he confessed to Akane? Was her son finally ready to be married? Nodoka was so excited now, but even the thought of her son marrying Akane couldn't cancel out the potential disaster involving her pet piglet.

Nodoka wouldn't say anything to anyone. She would figure out just what was going on and then decide what to do.

Ranma finally stopped mumbling and fell back into a forced sleep. Her gentle snores let Nodoka know it was safe to finally let out her breath. She had a lot of thinking to do.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Akane stomped into her room, followed by P-chan, and slammed the door, not caring if she woke anyone. "That stupid jerk," she growled.

P-chan hopped onto Akane's bed and oinked his agreement. _You tell it how it is, Akane!_

Akane paid no mind to the black piglet on her bed. She hadn't even noticed that P-chan had followed her in. She just stared at the floor, stewing in her anger. Such a perfect night was now ruined.

Like so many nights before this one, they'd managed to have a fight over something stupid. And like those countless past nights, the fight ended with Ranma slapped, and Akane upset over the lack of a real conclusion.

"Why does he have to get so jealous over a pig?" Akane vented. "It's not like it's going to replace him!"

P-chan found Akane's choice of words strange, but still oinked in support of her. Yeah! _Focus on how stupid he is!_

Akane finally noticed her vocal little pet and looked down at the black piglet on her bed. "And what's got you all excited?" she asked, still sounding rather cold.

P-chan's ears perked up in surprise and then flopped sadly. He gave Akane his puppy dog eyes, feigning innocence.

"Humph," Akane was not convinced by her pet's show. "You're not free of blame here either. While I may be mad at Ranma, it's your fault for starting it."

_That's not true! You have to believe me, Akane! It's all Ranma's fault! _P-chan squealed and snorted madly at being scolded by Akane.

"You can fuss all you want," Akane said to the distraught pig. "You're not getting away with it this time. Why did you have to wake up Ranma like that?"

P-chan oinked sadly. He was the innocent victim here. At least, he thought he was. He was supposed to be her adorable pet pig that she protected from that accursed Ranma Saotome.

Akane looked at the sad piglet and sighed. "Look at me, talking to a pig like it can understand me," she said to herself. She probably looked stupid. "I guess I'm being silly, aren't I?" she asked P-chan.

P-chan perked up at Akane's now friendly tone and nodded. He oinked happily. _Oh, I just knew you couldn't stay mad at me._

"I guess it was silly to let my temper get the best of me like that," Akane spoke her thoughts. "I should have just apologized for waking him and left. Of course there was no way he'd picked on you. You've only just returned."

P-chan squinted angrily and snorted. He shook his head in protest. _No way! Ranma deserved to be slapped! After what he did... what did he do again? Hmm... It doesn't matter! He deserved it!_

"You don't think so, huh?" Akane eyed her upset piglet.

P-chan nodded and continued to oink rather insistently. _You're damn right, I don't think so! I'm the one who's right!_

"Well, whatever," Akane didn't feel like trying to reason with an animal. She had enough trouble with Ranma, and he could at least speak.

Akane looked away from the still vocal piglet and glanced over to her desk. She saw her rose sitting in its cup on the desk. It was bent on its damaged stem, but still beautiful. It was the perfect metaphor for how Ranma made her feel. He could really annoy her to the point of anger, but damn, she still loved him for reasons she couldn't explain. Maybe that's why it felt so right. There was no reason she could find for how she felt. She just did.

Thinking about her feelings also made her realize that Ranma being jealous was a little endearing. It also made her realize that she'd basically pushed him away.

"I'm just going to have to apologize, somehow," she sighed. "It's not like he will."

P-chan continued to protest with insistent squeals, but Akane didn't respond to him. She laid down on her bed and let out a tired sigh. She was immediately reminded how tired she was and groaned through her aches.

P-chan could tell from her drawn out sigh and the groans that Akane was tired and stopped his squealing. He would simply have to wait until tomorrow and make sure nothing happened between Akane and Ranma. He attempted to crawl onto Akane's bosom, but was pushed away.

"Not tonight," Akane said coldly.

P-chan whined and gave Akane the biggest tear rimmed eyes he could muster. He wanted to know that he was still loved and welcomed into her embrace.

Akane glared at her little pet pig. "Well, you should have thought of that before you bit me, twice!" she scolded him.

P-chan whined louder and edged closer to Akane. He pouted with his snout and acted as cute as possible.

"You're not getting your way, this time," Akane warned the pig. "Look at these marks!" She pointed at the two red fang marks on her right hand.

_But, Akane!_ P-chan squealed and nudged her right breast with his forehead.

"No!" Akane shouted. She slapped P-chan's nose, causing the piglet to jump back and cry. Akane felt no pity for the cute little animal. "You deserve that much for biting me. Bad piggy!" she pointed at P-chan accusingly as she scolded him.

_Akane... why? Why are you behaving this way? It's me! Your P-chan!_ P-chan oinked sadly and sulked on the far end of the bed by the wall.

"You'd better behave the rest of the night," Akane warned him. "You've already caused enough trouble. Goodnight."

P-chan continued to oink sadly, albeit much quieter than before. He watched Akane turn her back to him and fall asleep on her side. He'd considered sneaking onto the other side, to cuddle into her arms, but didn't think it was a wise move. With a depressed oink, he curled into a ball and went to sleep.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Somehow, I managed to hold onto this one to try to pace the releases a bit. They may slow just a tad as I mull over rewriting the first 6 chapters, because I don't particularly like the quality of them, especially chapter 2 and 3. They've already been edited to include Nodoka, for the sake of consistency. This is also the right time to do it, because it's coming to the half point, and I don't think anyone would appreciate a sudden break in the updates once things start rolling towards the climax. For now, chapter 1 has finished its rewrite, and the changes have been posted.

Ah, P-chan, how you are oh so annoying. I gotta say, Ryoga's actions as P-chan always did bug me. It takes someone really delusional to think he's noble when he takes advantage of a situation like that. It's rather despicable. Maybe I'm too hard on him, but I really think my portrayal of him as a pig is accurate. He is just a completely different person when he's a pig, which is odd, because he's always acted differently as a pig. Everyone else, more or less, acts exactly the same in their cursed forms, but Ryoga seems to suffer from schizophrenia. Any thoughts on it are welcome.

Out of curiosity, does anyone know exactly who in the Tendo home knows Ryoga's secret? I want to say its Ranma, Genma, and Soun. I've already assumed Kasumi and Nodoka have no idea, but it's Nabiki I was wondering about. I think she does, but am not about to read the whole manga before writing the next chapter to know for sure. So, if anyone knows for sure, please let me know. Lack of evidence that she does means I'll assume she doesn't.

I based Akane's behavior in this chapter on my own with my dog when I was in high school. I was as much of a sucker for my pet dog as Akane is for P-chan, although I never talked to it beyond commands and praises for good behavior. Despite me being a total sucker though, I didn't tolerate her biting me, and that earned her a night on the floor. It just seemed logical that Akane wouldn't let P-chan snuggle with her after he bites her on the hand like that. Interestingly enough, my dog acted a lot like P-chan when it came to girls I'd hang out with. She was not fond of them being close to me.

**Richard Ryley:** Yeah, I understand that Ryoga begrudgingly decides to "let off" and seems to settle on Akari, but he's always been a "here and now" kind of guy, in my opinion. That's why I have him doing the things he does in my story. It's not so much that he's still stuck on Akane, rather he just lets certain things completely consume him, like his grudge with Ranma, or any sort of affection he receives.

**AliceTheBookGirl:** I agree that it's just not how things roll for the Nerima wrecking crew. While I would like Ranma and Akane to have a normal relationship, it just doesn't make sense. The way their lives have gone since meeting won't allow for a happy ending without there being some bad blood along the way.

**Anonymous:** Thanks for support of my portrayal of Akane's feelings over Ranma's girl side. I was really wondering how people would take it, since it's not a very popular stance on the matter in the fanfiction world. Usually when Akane detests Ranma's girl side in a story, it means they're not the couple.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	16. Spirit

Akane awoke from a rather restless sleep. Since the previous day had been filled with so many events and strong emotions, she'd had equally intense dreams. Some were good while others were bad. She couldn't remember any of them clearly, but one definitely involved an argument with Ranma that didn't end very nicely. This convinced her that she had to make things right with him.

Akane stretched and looked at her alarm clock. It was already 7:30, but that was fine with her. She had already planned on skipping her early morning jog, and it was the first day of break, and a Saturday.

"Hmm, what to wear?" she asked herself as she slid out of bed.

P-chan grunted and stirred as the bed shifted from Akane's weight leaving it. He opened his eyes slowly and let out a little yawn. He'd had the strangest nightmare that Akane was in love with Ranma and hated him, but that was just silly. He looked up at Akane to see her stripping off her pajamas and oinked happily. All was right in the world.

"Hmm..." Akane thought about what to wear and opened her closet. She wasn't planning on going out at all, so nothing fancy. She dug through her closet and pulled out a simple sleeveless yellow dress. "This'll work," she smiled.

P-chan nodded and oinked in approval. _You'll be so beautiful in that dress, Akane._

"You think this'll look good on me, P-chan?" Akane giggled. She still remembered the chaos the little piglet had caused the previous night, but today was a new day. She set the dress on the bed and put on her bath robe. "I'm going to go have a bath. I'll be back and we can go get breakfast."

_Ah, breakfast with Akane! Fate is smiling upon me!_ P-chan oinked in anticipation.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter XVI: Spirit**

* * *

Breakfast that morning was a mostly quiet affair. No one asked Ranma how things went last night with Akane when she saw how irritated she looked. They all figured things would be revealed soon enough when Akane arrived.

One thing that was out of place were the looks Nodoka gave Ranma as she watched her eat. Her usual sweet smile was nowhere to be seen, instead replaced by a stern, judging look. This did not go unnoticed by Genma, whom was on his absolute best behavior to avoid having the family blade pulled on him.

Ranma, on the other hand, didn't notice a thing as she ate breakfast. Her thoughts were still on Ryoga, and how many frequent flier miles he was about to accumulate from his one way ticket to Canada. She was sure she could manage that punch, even as a girl. She certainly felt pissed off enough.

Everyone paused awkwardly as the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs could be heard. Akane, the last to come down for breakfast, finally arrived to the family room with P-chan in her arms.

"Good morning," she said to everyone.

Everyone replied, except for Ranma and Nodoka. They both gave death glares in her direction, although they were both looking at P-chan.

Akane saw the glares she was receiving and felt herself sweat. Ranma looked absolutely pissed to see her with P-chan. She was so angry, her aura was actually faintly glowing around her in a frightening red.

Two spaces over, Nodoka was giving a similar glare, and that really surprised Akane. She wondered if maybe Ranma told her about their fight already? If so, she probably skewed it in her favor, but what could possibly get her to look so angry. She'd never ever seen her look like that, and she'd seen her threaten Genma and Ranma with death before.

"Er... Good morning, Ranma, Aunty Saotome," she said nervously.

"Good morning, Akane," Nodoka said without any emotion. Ranma did not reply.

P-chan saw the look on Ranma's face and grinned. _Hehe! Looks like I win, Ranma! _He oinked blissfully and nuzzled Akane's chest while giving Ranma a mocking squint.

At the sight of the piglet rubbing against Akane, Ranma and Nodoka both stood up. Ranma growled, and her aura flared, while Nodoka pulled out her katana. The older woman had told herself she would wait to find out what was going on, but she couldn't contain herself at the sight of the dishonorable behavior.

Everyone in the room, except Ranma, jumped back when Nodoka pulled out her katana. Genma was on the other side of the room in the blink of an eye, cowering in the corner.

"Uh, Aunty Saotome?" Akane backed away nervously.

P-chan noticed Ranma's mother for the first time and froze in fear. He saw her glaring at him with that sword in her hands, and wondered what was going on. The woman had eagerly helped him reach Akane last night, but now she looked ready to turn him into a barbeque pork sandwich.

Nodoka blinked when she heard Akane's voice and felt a chill blanket her body as she was taken out of her angry stupor. She saw the sword in her hands and placed it back in its sheath. "I'm sorry, dear," she said. "I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay," Akane laughed nervously.

Nodoka sat back down and continued to eat her breakfast peacefully. She did not, however, stop glaring at P-chan through the corner of her eye.

Akane walked over to her spot next to Ranma slowly. She could feel the heat of Ranma's aura as she reached her seat. She hadn't witnessed this kind of aura since Shampoo, Kodachi, and Ukyo had all been in the same room that one Christmas eve.

"Good morning, Ranma," she said, trying to sound normal.

Ranma glanced over to Akane and then at P-chan. The little piglet was grinning back at her. Ranma glared at the pig with the coldest look in her eyes, but did nothing. She would wait until he was alone. "Akane," she said, finally, and sat back down. Her aura slowly faded.

Akane joined everyone else in sitting down at the table and began to eat her breakfast. Whenever P-chan would whine cutely, she'd feed him a nibble of food, which only served to re-spark Ranma's aura.

_I've never seen Ranma this angry before..._ Akane thought to herself.

_You certainly are upset over that little pig, my son,_ Nodoka thought as she watched her son's behavior.

_Ah, the love Akane shows me... _P-chan oinked in contentment. _This must be meant to be._

Happosai had been watching this strange exchange curiously. He usually didn't trouble himself with Ranma and Akane's silly antics, since it didn't involve arguing over lingerie. This time, though, he couldn't ignore the power that Ranma was putting off.

Happosai had noticed his chosen heir taking several large strides in his skill and power as a martial artist since beginning his chi training. While anyone that trains in chi and battle aura techniques will become more powerful, Ranma's advancement was swift. This display of raw power was another sign of that, and Happosai was curious.

With a familiar glint in his eye, Happosai hopped onto the table and then at Akane. "Ah, Akane my sweet!" he cried, arms extended as if to hug her.

Ranma reacted to Happosai's attempt at molesting Akane like she always did. She moved in to punch him away, but Happosai had been expecting it. He spun out of his half hearted attempt to reach Akane's breasts and thrust his pipe into Ranma's fist. The two collided, resulting in a stand still as the two glared into each other's eyes. Ranma was standing with his fist pushing against Happosai's pipe while the midget stood on Akane's arm.

While most people thought nothing of the display, Soun and Genma were absolutely stunned.

"R-Ranma?" Soun couldn't believe it.

"Incredible! No one's ever been able to stand against the master like that!" Genma declared, and it was true. Happosai's pipe strike always sent people flying. This was the first time anyone, besides Cologne, had been able to match it evenly.

"Heh heh... You certainly are pumped up today, Ranma," Happosai said and smiled. He pulled back his pipe and hopped back to his spot at the table. "I don't know what's got your panties in a bunch this morning, but I know just what to do with you," he started to laugh.

"Whatever," Ranma mumbled. She shoveled the rest of her rice into her mouth and swallowed it with a single gulp. "I'm finished."

Ranma stood to leave, but her mother also got up.

"My son, would you join me outside, please?" Nodoka asked.

"Uh, sure," Ranma said and followed her mother out of the family room.

Everyone watched the two leave quietly. Akane was really worried about Ranma while P-chan grinned so hard he snorted.

Nabiki had watched everything happen with muted interest. There was so much fun begging to be had, but she knew it was better to keep quiet. She'd been busy studying the Amazon law book, and knew it was best to save the fun for when she spoke to them about it.

Nodoka guided Ranma from the family room to the entrance of the house. She slung her katana over her shoulder, took the broom by the doorway, and stepped outside to begin sweeping the front walkway.

Ranma watched her mom cautiously. "What did you want to talk about, mom?" she asked, making sure to speak clearly with her mom.

"Ranma, my dear son," Nodoka spoke slowly, lacking any of the usual sweetness her voice carried. Ranma found her tone unnerving. "I'd like to talk to you about something important."

"Uh, okay," Ranma said. She stuffed her hands into her pockets.

Nodoka swept the stone walkway leading towards the front gate in quiet thought. Ranma watched her nervously, wondering why she was being so serious.

"Tell me, Ranma, do you consider yourself to be manly?" Nodoka asked.

"Er, what?" Ranma started to feel a cold sweat. Any question on her manliness was not good.

"Do you think that you are manly?" she repeated more sternly.

"Of course!" Ranma replied adamantly. She flexed. "I'm the strongest there is, after all!"

Nodoka ignored Ranma's bravado. "And as someone manly, do you value your honor?"

"Ha! That's a no brainer! My honor as a man, and a martial artist is more important than anything!" Ranma declared with her thumb pointed at herself.

"I see..." Nodoka considered her son's words as she swept the same stone block absentmindedly. "So you would keep any promise to preserve this honor?"

"I would never go back on my word," Ranma said with her arms crossed over her chest. "What makes you think that I would?"

"I never thought that you would," Nodoka admitted. "I was just curious about a particular promise."

Ranma blinked. "A particular promise?" _Oh, please, don't drop this engagement crap on me now... That was all pops and Mr. Tendo!_

"Yes..." Nodoka was never known for her tact, and she knew it. Like so many times before, she chose to be direct. "Ranma, I heard you fighting with Akane last night."

"You did?" Ranma went numb. _Oh, crap... This isn't about our engagement... Please tell me you didn't hear me talking to myself._

"I'm not going to scold you over fighting with your fiancée, but what has me worried is what you said after she left."

_Oh, crap!_ Ranma felt like her life was being sucked out of her body through her legs.

"Ranma... What is this promise you made to Ryoga, and what does it have to do with him sneaking into bed with Akane at night?" Nodoka asked, voice cold as ice.

Ranma muttered incoherently at the question. He was up the creek without a paddle in a leaking boat that was on fire. He'd been caught by the second worst person that could have possibly discovered this promise he'd made, and probably the deadliest.

Nodoka shook her head at her son's lack of courage. "Answer me!" she demanded loudly.

"B-but, mom," Ranma squeaked.

"Tell me what you promised! Is Ryoga that little black pig P-chan?" Nodoka had dropped her broom and pulled her katana from her shoulder. She was prepared to pull the family blade from its wrapped sheath.

Ranma saw her mother's intentions and gulped. Very rarely had Ranma seen her mother this way, but every time it chilled her to the bone. There was no choice, but to man up now. She'd rather die a man that answered for his actions than one that died hiding the truth. "Y-yes, he is," she said.

At hearing the truth of P-chan's identity, Nodoka began to pull out her blade slowly. The forged metal rang brightly as it slid out of the sheath. "How is that possible?" she asked. "What is this about a curse? Is he... like you?"

Ranma gulped and nodded. "He followed me all the way to Jusenkyo, because he's obsessed with some kind of grudge against me," she explained. "He fell into the spring of drowned pig when I missed hitting pops and kicked him instead."

"I don't care how it happened.," Nodoka hissed. "How long have you known about this?"

"Since before he became Akane's pet... like, five minutes before," Ranma admitted sadly. "I made the promise even before that though. Martial artists don't reveal the weaknesses of others. I may not have said it to his face, but I still said it."

"That's no excuse," Nodoka finished pulling out her sword and held the blade across her chest so the early morning sun shined on it. "How could you stand by while he snuck into bed with your fiancée?"

"Oh, come on, mom, it's not like the engagement was my idea," Ranma defended herself.

"So you didn't mind?" Nodoka's voice was heavy with a threatening tone.

"That's not what I said! Of course I minded! That stupid Ryoga sneaking into bed with her..." Ranma growled.

"So why didn't you stop it, _son_?"

"I did try to stop him! Every time!" Ranma shouted. "I even tried to reveal the truth to Akane, but she wouldn't listen to me though, and always sided with the stupid pig!"

"Did you ever try to _tell_ her the truth about him?"

"Well... no, not directly... But, how could I?" Ranma asked. She felt pale just thinking about what kind of pain Akane would unleash upon her if she told her. "Akane would be furious! And I gave my word, on my honor!"

Nodoka scowled at her son and lifted the family blade so it was near the redhead's neck. Ranma visibly shook as the forged steel reflected the sun right into her eyes.

"You have a lot to learn about honor, my son," Nodoka said coldly.

"W-what do you mean?" Ranma gulped.

Nodoka shook her head. She should have known her son would have developed a hard black and white view of honor and manliness from having Genma as his only moral guide. While keeping one's word was important, protecting friends and family was far more important. Nodoka had thought about how she would feel, if she were in Akane's position after Ranma went back to sleep last night. She was absolutely livid when she put herself in the situation.

"Do you think that your honor as a martial artist is more important than Akane's honor as a woman?" she asked.

"Akane? Well I... I never... um... no?" Ranma hoped that was the right answer.

"You're not completely hopeless," Nodoka smiled. She pulled the family blade from Ranma's neck, but didn't sheath it. "Because of your foolishness, Akane has suffered a great dishonor. How do you think she's going to feel when she finally finds out? Or did you think this was going to simply go away?"

"I-I dunno..." Ranma stuttered. She really hadn't ever given the long term consequences any thought. She only ever thought about how mad Akane would get at her. Realizing her shortsightedness was like ice water to the face, and Ranma sighed. "I really screwed up, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did," Nodoka made sure her words cut into Ranma. "You're right, Akane will be furious, but it's only going to get worse the longer this goes on. Your father would have never allowed anything like this to happen to me."

"Er, pops? He wouldn't?" Ranma couldn't believe her dopey father could actually be a bigger man than she was.

"No, he wouldn't. Sure, he was perverted at times, stupid more often than not, and clueless when it came to tact, but, he would have shouldered any burden, any shame, if it meant protecting my own honor. Why else do you think I fell in love with him?"

Ranma couldn't believe it. He really had been a fool this whole time. His entire life, even. It made perfect sense. How else _would_ his mom fall for an oaf like Genma? Ranma now realized his pops must have been completely different in his youth, or at least he could be dedicated to a woman to put her before himself, which was evidently more than Ranma could say about himself at that moment.

"He really would, huh?" Ranma asked her mother.

"Yes, he was so manly back then," Nodoka had a whimsical glint in her eye. "It takes a true man to swallow his own pride to protect those that are dear to him."

Ranma looked down at the ground. "I... I think I understand..."

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Nodoka asked. She felt the lesson was settling in, and returned the family blade to its sheath.

"I don't know... It's so complicated," Ranma said.

"It shouldn't be," Nodoka said. "If you want to be considered a _man_, you have to do what's right for Akane."

Ranma swallowed the lump in her throat. She knew the easiest way to do that, but it was just unthinkable. Even though she knew it was the right thing to do, she still struggled with it.

"I'm not saying you have to tell her," Nodoka said at the sight of her son struggling with the decision. "If you do, there will be a lot of pain, maybe even for a long time. I don't want to see you and Akane hurting each other like that, but the issue has to be resolved."

"What other choice do I have?" Ranma asked. She really wanted another way out. Anything to prevent things from going this way.

"I don't know," Nodoka said. "That's entirely up to you, but..." Nodoka pulled out the family blade again and pointed the tip at her son. "I will not tolerate P-chan spending another night with Akane. If he does, I will be the one to reveal the truth to her. Then you'll know what real shame feels like."

Ranma saw the seriousness in her mother's eyes and nodded. "I understand," she said.

"Good," Nodoka re-sheathed her sword. "Now, then. There was something else I wanted to speak to you about."

"There was?" Ranma felt even colder at the thought there was more to talk about.

Nodoka suddenly wore her sweet smile and spoke like she usually did. "I believe you said you loved Akane last night?"

"Er... what? No... I didn't say that," Ranma said nervously and scratched her head. She didn't remember saying it, anyways.

"I heard you say it to yourself right before you fell asleep," Nodoka said.

"Oh, come on, mom, that hardly counts..." Ranma shrugged.

"Oh, so you _do_ admit it," Nodoka smiled happily. "My manly son," she sighed and put her sleeve to her lips.

"C-cut it out!" Ranma complained and blushed.

"Well, if it's true, you'll make the right decision," Nodoka said. She shouldered her katana again and picked up the broom she had discarded. "Happosai must be waiting for you by now."

"Er... right..." Ranma backed away from her mother slowly. The way she could just change her tone and behavior like that was scary. It was like Akane in reverse. It actually made Ranma even more uneasy.

Ranma went back into the house, leaving her mom out front sweeping the stone walkway. She passed by Akane, but didn't even notice her fiancée standing by the stairway as she made her way towards the dojo.

Akane wanted to talk to Ranma, but didn't say anything as she walked by with a blank expression on her face. She wondered what Ranma's mother had spoken to her about. She looked out of the front door at the woman sweeping the walkway. She certainly looked normal enough now.

Akane walked out slowly and addressed her aunty. "Hi, Aunty Saotome," she said.

"Why, hello, Akane," Nodoka said and turned around. She had her usual sweet smile, but it vanished when she saw P-chan in Akane's arms. "What brings you out here?" she asked coldly.

Akane wondered what made her turn cold so suddenly. Did it have to do with what she had talked to Ranma about? She couldn't think of anything they could talk about that would make her act this way though. "I uh... wanted to talk to you about something," she said.

"Really," Nodoka remained cold. "Something private, I take it?"

"Ah, that's right," she smiled nervously.

"Well, I'd be more than happy to talk with you, Akane," Nodoka said. "But I'll have to ask you to send the pig away before we do."

"P-chan? Why would I need to do that?"

"You said this was private, yes?"

"Well, yeah, but he's just a pig," Akane held up P-chan and he nodded with an oink. _I'm just her adorable P-chan!_

_So, she really has no idea,_ Nodoka squinted at the pig. She guess she really couldn't blame her too much. She'd been clueless about her husband and son's curses for a long time too. Her real anger was over this despicable boy's behavior, anyway. "Respect your elder's request, Akane" she said.

"Well, I guess it's no big deal, right P-chan?" Akane moved to let him down.

P-chan protested the decision with wild squeals. He tried to keep in Akane's arms, and rubbed his snout against her chest sadly. _I don't want to go! _This was followed by the sound of clanging steel as Nodoka brought out her family blade. _Oh my god!_

"Run along, little piggy," she said.

_Akane! Save me! _P-chan squealed in fear and jumped onto Akane's shoulder. He scurried and hid behind her head as best as he could without falling.

"Aunty Saotome, isn't that a bit much?" Akane asked nervously.

Nodoka looked at Akane seriously, and then suddenly wore her sweet smile again. "Well, if it's not important, then," she sheathed her blade and resumed sweeping as if the conversation had never happened.

Akane looked at Ranma's mother like she was crazy. She looked ready to kill P-chan, and then all of sudden was back to her normal self. One thing was clear though, she wouldn't talk unless they were completely alone.

"It is important," Akane said. She picked up a fussy P-chan from her shoulder and set the pig down. "Run along, P-chan."

P-chan shook his head and nuzzled Akane's foot. Akane, with much forced control, softly pushed the cute piglet away with the same foot. "I said go," she said sternly. "I need to talk to aunty Saotome."

_No way! I'm not going anywhere! My place is here, with you! _P-chan continued to protest.

Akane felt her heart quivering at the sight of the adorable pig fussing over being pushed away. She looked up at Nodoka, whom had her back turned while she swept the walkway. "Are you sure he has to go?" she asked.

Nodoka said nothing and began to hum to herself as she swept.

Akane could tell there was no budging the woman on the subject and sighed. "Run along, P-chan," she said and pushed him away with her foot again.

_No! Don't pick this woman over me! _P-chan whined. _I'm more important!_

"I said go!" Akane suddenly yelled while she pointed towards the house. Her classic temper had gotten out.

P-chan leapt back in shock from her tone. _H... How could you? You yelled at me! _He began to cry and ran off without protesting further, away from the direction Akane had pointed.

"W-wait, P-chan!" Akane called after the crying pig. "I didn't mean to yell like that!"

Nodoka watched the pig run away and shook her head. She thought that Ryoga was a pathetic, unmanly, child, based on his behavior as a pig. A far cry from what she had believed from her previous knowledge of him as Ranma's rival.

Akane watched P-chan run off around the yard and vanish behind the house crying. She felt guilty over yelling at him like that, but the damage was done. She'd have to make it up to him later.

"So, what did you want to speak to me about, Akane?" Nodoka asked sweetly while she swept. Her smile put even Kasumi's to shame.

"It's about Ranma," Akane said.

"Has my son done something?" Nodoka asked, sounding like she was ready to draw her sword again.

"No, not exactly... At least, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it, dear?" Nodoka stopped sweeping to give Akane her full attention.

"Aunty Saotome... how do you accept Ranma's curse?" Akane looked at the ground after asking the question, ashamed.

Nodoka stiffened when she heard the question. She still had her lingering problems with accepting Ranma's curse, but he was still her son. While she held him to a high standard, Ranma always exceeded her expectations, save for the recent discovery of his pathetic handling of Ryoga's abuse of Akane.

"Why do you ask such a question?" she asked. She no longer smiled, and instead looked at Akane as only a protective mother could.

"I just... wanted to know," she said, still looking at the ground in front of her.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Please... it's really important," Akane nearly begged.

Nodoka considered Akane's request. She looked at the how she held her head shamefully and wondered just what could cause her to ask something so personal. She decided she would need to find out why before ever explaining something so delicate.

"Why is it important, Akane?" she asked.

Akane sniffled and wiped her face before looking up at Ranma's mother. Her eyes were rimmed with tears, and her lips were trembling.

"Akane?" Nodoka was surprised to see the usually strong girl crying. She hugged her and rubbed her back soothingly. "What's wrong, Akane? Why are you crying?"

"Please, I just need to know," Akane subbed gently into Nodoka's shoulder.

"Oh, Akane," Nodoka hugged her warmly. She was beginning to understand. Akane's behavior reminded her of her own turmoil. "You love him, don't you?"

Akane didn't want to answer the question. She knew how Nodoka could be when it came to her and Ranma being together. Next to her father and Mr. Saotome, Nodoka was a very close second when it came to how crazy she could be about them getting married. The only difference is she wasn't in as much of a rush.

"What makes you think that?" Akane asked.

Nodoka chuckled at Akane's attempt at evading a confession. She could always tell there was something special between Ranma and Akane. This development, along with what she'd heard last night though, meant things were moving to a new stage. Ranma's feelings were just below the surface now, and Nodoka could sense the same from Akane.

"Because Ranma's curse wouldn't matter to you, if you didn't," Nodoka said. She sighed and embraced Akane tighter. "That's why it was so hard for me to accept it at first."

"But... you always accepted Ranma the way he was," Akane looked up at Nodoka in confusion.

"No... not when I first realized it," Nodoka explained. "For a few seconds, I couldn't believe it. Then, I realized it was all true, and couldn't accept it. It lasted for about a second, maybe two. Then, I realized that this was the son I'd dreamed of for so many years..."

"A son that turned into a girl?"

Nodoka laughed. "No... A son that would forsake himself to save his mother. Someone so manly he'd do anything for those he loved. I can accept any faults in someone like that."

Akane smiled at the happiness in Nodoka's face. She was so confident in her thoughts of Ranma, and she was right. Ranma always did whatever it took to save her whenever she was in trouble. He'd even sacrificed his chance at a cure on more than one occasion to do it. But Akane always knew that about Ranma, and she still had these problems with his curse all of a sudden.

"More than anything else though, I realized he's also the son I've always loved, and that's enough."

"Aunty Saotome?" Akane didn't understand.

Nodoka pulled back from the hug and looked Akane in the eyes. "So, you see, love is the reason Ranma's curse is hard to accept, but it's why it's so easy to as well."

Akane wanted to believe it was true. She wanted to believe it was that simple, because she really did love Ranma, and wanted more than anything for this problem to go away. "I don't understand," she said, eyes starting to tear up again. "I..."

"You _do_ love, Ranma," Nodoka said. She smiled brightly.

"I..." Akane realized there was no sense in denying it to Nodoka now. "I do..."

"Oh, Akane, that's wonderful," She stroked her back to sooth her. "My son must have been so manly when you told him."

"That's just it," Akane's voice cracked. "I haven't told him."

"You haven't?" Nodoka was surprised.

"Every time I try, I can't seem to say it. And that's when I started feeling strange whenever I looked at him when he was a girl."

"Mmm, my son must be _very_ manly then, if you can't get enough of him," Nodoka chuckled.

"Aunty, please..." Akane blushed, effectively confirming Nodoka's beliefs.

"It's okay, Akane. It's normal to have trouble accepting faults when you love someone. That's when they become more important to you. Lord knows, Genma had quite a few of them when we first met."

"This isn't quite the same."

"Perhaps not," Nodoka admitted. "But, it has the same solution. If you really love him, you'll come to accept it, eventually. No one can say or do anything to help you along. You'll just... feel it, one day." Nodoka sighed fondly, remembering when she felt that way about her husband for the first time.

"You really think so?" Akane wiped away her last tear. She was starting to feel a lot better.

"I know so," Nodoka dried Akane's face by patting it with her kimono sleeve.

"Thank you. I feel a lot better," Akane hugged Nodoka appreciatively.

"You're very welcome, Akane," Nodoka returned the hug. She thought about everything that was happening. So much was changing right under her nose. "Oh, my son is so manly," she whispered her joy.

Akane sighed. Nodoka was back to her normal self. "Yeah, yeah..." she admitted in surrender. "Just don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Hmm?" Nodoka looked at Akane like she hadn't heard what she said.

"Just, keep this between us, okay? Everything."

"Of course, Akane," Nodoka smiled. "I would never betray the trust of a private conversation. Now, why don't you run along? It's your first day of break. You should be enjoying yourself," Nodoka said.

"Well... I didn't really plan on doing anything," Akane said. "I was just going to train with Ranma tonight."

"Well, why don't you watch him train now? Maybe you'll learn something."

"I guess... Sure, okay," Akane turned and left. Any thoughts of P-chan were firmly out of her mind after the conversation she'd just had.

Nodoka watched Akane leave towards the dojo and smiled. Her son was a lucky man.

Akane heard the familiar sounds of battle as she neared the dojo. She stood at the doorway to watch quietly, not wanting to distract anyone.

Ranma was in the center of the dojo striking at Genma, Soun, and Happosai with her aura. Her attacks were all short ranged, only reaching a few feet further than her arms and legs, leaving the dojo undamaged while the three martial artists dodged around.

Akane watched Ranma with a sense of awe, and a touch of jealousy. While she'd managed to advance faster than she thought she would under Ranma's tutelage, Ranma was advancing so much faster. Each day, she was using her chi in new, fantastic ways.

Before, Ranma had used her chi to send out blasts of aura, almost like projectiles. Now, it was a constant extension of her body. It moved, extended, and returned in fluid motions, almost like waves of water.

Ranma was in constant motion as she attempted to hit her three targets. She focused mostly on Soun, since his ground style of martial arts made him the most direct in combat. She dodged his attacks smoothly, allowing her senses to guide her through the flow of chi coming from his body. Once an opportunity presented itself, she attacked in the same motion she dodged in, sending a blast from her aura as she spun around Soun's kick.

The blow from Ranma's aura stunned Soun, causing him to stagger back. Genma was on Ranma immediately, aura glowing brightly. He had trained in chi techniques more than his long time friend, and presented a much greater challenge for Ranma.

Genma attacked from the air, like he usually did. Ranma met her father in aerial combat, their auras serving as a layer of armor against the blows they traded. This is one area where Genma surpassed his son. His hardier body and years of training in utilizing his chi allowed him to absorb the blows, and even attack through them. This level of focus surprised Ranma, and forced her to adjust her strategy after they separated from their aerial flurry.

The two martial artists bounded at each other again after they landed. Genma used his same strategy, but Ranma changed hers. Instead of mirroring Genma's attacks, Ranma blocked, parried, and struck at key points to keep her chi flow building. Much like with the hiryu shoten ha, her chi's flow was building momentum in her constant motion, and she delivered a dazzling punch that sent Genma flying away.

As Genma flew into the wall, Ranma sensed danger behind her. Happosai was always a crafty one, and he was about to strike. Ranma flipped and spun as she began to descend from her jump and directed the flow of her chi through her body to a single finger point. She thrust that finger forward and it collided with Happosai's.

While her maneuver was a stale mate with Happosai's attack, the impact sent waves of pain through Ranma's body. She grit her teeth against the pain and used another burst of energy to spring away from the grand master.

When Ranma landed, she sensed the sudden appearance of someone behind her. Genma exited the umi-sen ken to strike, but hit thin air as Ranma vanished into the umi-sen ken herself. Not wanting to fall for his own trick, Genma went limp, reassuming the umi-sen ken as Ranma reappeared in a charging punch that barely missed.

Ranma and Genma continued to dance around each other, coming in and out of the umi-sen ken in a crazed game of cat and mouse. Watching the two vanish to dodge and appear to strike was rather dizzying for Akane.

Happosai could not perform the same vanishing technique, but knew of other ways to manipulate his chi for stealth. The grand master joined Genma in the fancy combat, only he created several copies of himself to mask his location.

Ranma saw the group of Happosais as she dodged her father. She had no time to sense which one was the real Happosai, since the umi-sen ken required constant and fast motion. To avoid being trapped, Ranma was forced to exit from her hiding and attack all of the images at once with a flying spin kick that sent her aura out in a giant wave.

Happosai's copies all vanished as Ranma's aura cut through them, but the true master avoided the attack by gliding over it. He was now poised to strike Ranma as she was still recovering from her spin.

Genma and Soun both saw the opening as well, and were on Ranma instantly. Genma appeared from the umi-sen ken behind Ranma to use the strike of the white snake while Soun attacked from her flank.

Together, the three presented no means of escape, or blocking all of their attacks. Ranma could sense this as she finished her spin and took a chance on what she'd meditated on since the last time this happened.

Ranma continued her momentum into another spin and reached deep into her center for her survival instinct. In the furthest reaches, she felt the dense concentration of energy ready to be unleashed. She tapped into that energy, and as she planted her hands on the ground she freed it into a spiral of chi from a combination of spin kicks.

"Kakusareta ryū no dansu!" she shouted.

Ranma's aura burst into a whirlwind of lancing serpents that whipped at the three attackers. Unlike when Ranma had panicked, this attack was controlled, and every spin kick hit their mark. The serpents rammed into the attackers with their heads, pummeling their entire bodies with pain.

The three men were thrown back by the force of the attack, just like last time. They all laid in dazes as the air settled. Ranma stood where the eye of the storm she'd created had been, unharmed, ready for more.

"Ugh, you sure learned to control that one in a hurry," Happosai groaned and rolled to his feet.

"At least he held back," Soun grumbled. "I can at least..." Soun groaned as he got up slowly, "get to my feet this time."

"Speak for yourself," Genma said from where he laid. He made no attempt to join his fellow martial artists on their feet.

"That was incredible, Ranma," Akane said from where she'd been watching. She clapped in appreciation of what she'd witnessed. She felt she'd seen a few things she wanted to try the next time she practiced.

Ranma hadn't noticed Akane had been watching and blushed at the praise. "Oh, hey. Thanks Akane," she said and waved.

A sudden pain sent Ranma to the ground when Happosai whacked her over the head with his pipe. "What did I say about distractions?" he asked.

"Hey! You stupid old goat! You had already lost!" Ranma argued.

"Oh, and you're just gonna let your guard down like that when Ku's on his back?" Happosai asked.

"Oh no... I'm making sure that bastard's done," Ranma cracked her knuckles at the mere thought.

"Uh, I can go, if it's a problem," Akane said. She didn't want to be in the way of Ranma's training.

"Normally, I would have you leave, but this one clearly needs to learn control around you," Happosai jabbed Ranma in the ribs and grinned at his double meaning.

"Ow! You don't know what you're talkin about!" Ranma exclaimed.

"Oh, really? I suppose that's why you were so calm at breakfast?" Happosai raised an eyebrow when he asked that.

"Breakfast? But that was... It wasn't... Akane..." Ranma couldn't finish her thought and grumbled in frustration. "Whatever."

"Listen, Ranma," Happosai looked at him seriously. "You've come a long way in your training in a short amount of time, but you still lack balance when it counts. You know emotions can fuel your chi, but that's a very dangerous habit. Emotions have limits. If you reach your limit while depending on emotions to power your attacks, and lose, then what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?" Ranma asked.

"Think about it! Ryoga's shi shi hokodan and your moko takabashi were useless against Ku, and left you with nothing! You have to learn to control your emotions when using your chi, or you're going to burn yourself out too fast!"

"That's what I've been doing," Ranma insisted.

"Yes, and for the most part, you've done well," Happosai nodded. "Just remember that emotion can be applied to any of the techniques you've learned these past few days. We draw strength from our emotions, but they demand a heavy price. Balance is the most important aspect of utilizing your chi in martial arts.

"This last, and final technique I am about to teach you requires absolute balance for it to work. To use it through an emotion can be disastrous."

"A final technique?" Ranma asked in wonder. Until now, the only thing they'd really practiced was chi as an extension of regular martial arts. The prospect of learning a special technique made Ranma giddy.

"That's right," Happosai grinned. "Learn this, and I'll have nothing left to teach you in regards to your chi. Master this, and you'll be ready!"

Happosai's chi bloomed into a brilliant blue light that formed into an enormous manifestation of himself. It was a technique Ranma had seen done before, but had never considered figuring out.

"Behold! The anything goes school of martial arts ultimate technique!" Happosai shouted proudly. "The aura spirit!"

"So, that's it," Ranma said in awe.

"This technique is very powerful," Happosai said. "While its mainly used to scare an opponent, it can also help you fight. It will obey your every thought and instinct, and unleash your full power."

"Amazing..." Ranma could feel the power of Happosai's aura filling the entire dojo.

"So, Ranma, are you ready?" Happosai asked. "Are you ready to learn the very nature of your being?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"This technique is no normal technique. The form it takes is different for everyone. This technique draws from your very soul, and takes its form from it. It is the spirit of your being! The manifestation of your true nature!"

"So then... deep down inside, you're a giant pervert?" Ranma asked dumbly.

Happosai suddenly whacked Ranma over the head with his pipe. "That's not the point!" he yelled. "The point is, there's no hiding from the truth of your nature. What you get, you're stuck with."

"So... my old man was always a panda on the inside?" Ranma had to ask. It was just too much of a coincidence.

"Well, no, he _used_ to be something else," Happosai said. "As you change through your life, your spirit may take on a new form. Your father just embraced his curse a little too much, it seems."

Ranma chuckled. How true it was. He'd gotten far too comfortable in his panda form since coming back to Japan.

"And my father..." Akane thought about the times he'd use his demon headed chi to scare people."

"Soun always was one for theatrics," Happosai laughed. "He just likes to blow smoke."

"Okay, so how do I do this?" Ranma asked.

Happosai let his aura spirit fade away and crossed his hands behind his back. "In order to properly conjure your aura spirit, you must first find your center," he said.

"Okay," Ranma took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. She found her center where it always was, pulsing with her heart.

"Now, deep within this center is the very essence of your being," Happosai said. "To reach it, you must shed all of your barriers. You cannot hold anything back if you want to be able to unleash it."

Ranma listened to Happosai closely. She emptied herself of everything she kept guarded in her heart. All of the anxiety surrounding it melted away, layer by layer. As the layers were stripped, within her center, she could see a tiny speck of white light.

"Let go if your beliefs and doubts, and realize who you truly are," Happosai said as he watched Ranma. He was probing the girl with his senses, witnessing her chi blossom within.

Ranma felt her body numbing as she fell deeper into the meditation. The tiny speck of light was burning hot at the center of the cold numbness. She could see it so clearly, but couldn't quite reach it.

"Unleash it!" Happosai ordered.

Ranma made a desperate reach for the speck. She saw it shimmer in her mind and then felt the onrush of energy as it burst outward.

Everyone watched as Ranma's aura blossomed around her. It's blue glow was more brilliant than it had ever been before, at it began to take shape. It extended high above Ranma, but it never took on a solid form. It became erratic and cried out as it fell apart. As quickly as it had burst out, it receded back into Ranma.

"You forced it," Happosai said.

"But I was so close!" Ranma growled.

"Don't beat yourself up over it," Happosai said. "No one gets it the first time."

"The master is right, Ranma," Genma said. "It took Soun and I several days to learn to do this. Once you do, however... once you _know_ where your true self lies, you will be able to command it at will."

"Alright, let's try this again," Ranma prepared to attempt the technique, but Happosai stopped her with his raised hand.

"No, no second tries today," he said.

"Why not?" Ranma asked in irritation.

"Trying again now is only going to fail again.," Happosai explained. "The more you fail, the harder it will get. You'll start to create barriers in your mind. What you need is time to meditate on what you've experienced today. We can try again tomorrow."

Ranma was silent for a moment as she considered protesting, but she could tell Happosai was being serious. "Fine," she muttered.

"Well, it's good that you've advanced so quickly," Happosai said and stretched. "No more draining your chi to nail down the basics. I'm off."

Happosai hopped out of the dojo to go do as he pleased followed close behind by Soun and Genma. Ranma remained standing where she was and just thought about the technique she'd attempted.

"If my old man can do it... then I'll get it for sure," Ranma said to herself.

Akane walked up to Ranma as she stood in thought. She'd remembered what had happened last night, and that she needed to apologize. "Hey, Ranma," she said.

"Mmm? Oh, hey Akane," Ranma said. She turned to face Akane when she reached next to her. "What's up? Looking to train some?"

"Not in this dress," Akane said and chuckled. She lifted the sides slightly to give an image to her words.

"Well, I can wait, and you can go change."

"No, that's okay. Our usual time will be fine."

"Er, okay," Ranma blushed at the idea that they had a usual time for anything. She looked at the ground shyly to try to hide it.

"What I really came here for is to say that I'm sorry," Akane said.

"Sorry?" Ranma looked up at Akane with a curious look on her face. "For what?"

"For that argument last night. I never should have accused you of picking on P-chan."

Ranma tensed at the mention of Ryoga's black hide. She remembered what her mother had threatened to do if the P-chan situation wasn't resolved soon. She'd completely forgotten about it during training, but now the pressure was all back.

Akane waited for Ranma to say something, but got nothing. She looked down at her feet and crossed her hands in front of her stomach nervously. "So... do you accept?" she asked.

Ranma looked at Akane. She wanted to accept it, but she honestly didn't know why she was really apologizing. It's not like she helped any. "Mmm, I guess," she said.

"You guess?"

"Well, I can't let you take all the blame... or somethin like that," Ranma muttered. She then noticed the two red marks on Akane's hand. "Hey, what's this?" She took Akane's right hand and looked closer.

"Oh... P-chan bit me last night," Akane explained.

"Oh, he did, did he?" Ranma growled.

"It's nothing serious," Akane insisted. "It didn't even draw blood or anything."

Ranma didn't hear Akane shrug it off. The only thing she saw was Ryoga's fang marks on Akane. _His_ Akane. She was going to break both of his arms so he couldn't swim back once she booted him to the other side of the globe.

"Er, Ranma, I said it's okay," Akane said nervously. She'd been holding her hand with a really intense look on her face, and it kind of scared her. "He was just upset about something when he did it."

"He thinks he has something to be upset over?" Ranma asked. "Oh, he has no idea!"

"He's just a pig, Ranma," Akane said pointedly.

"Pig is right," Ranma muttered. She was thinking the absolute worst of Ryoga at the moment.

"Honestly, Ranma, what's the big deal?" Akane asked. She looked into her eyes. The fire in them was striking, even for Ranma.

"He hurt you!" Ranma shouted, suddenly losing control.

"I said I'm fine!" Akane insisted. "Can't we just forget about it?"

"No... we can't," Ranma said, voice suddenly low and serious. The once intense situation suddenly dropped to a foreboding one.

"What do you mean?"

"Akane... the pig's got to go," Ranma said sternly.

"What? You want me to get rid of P-chan?" Akane pulled her hand from Ranma's and looked at her with sadness and anger. "Why?"

Ranma had to look away and shut her eyes to collect her thoughts. Her mother's discovery of everything had put her in a really bad spot, and it was time to resolve the issue, one way or another. She knew there was no way out without someone getting hurt, most likely Akane, and probably herself once Ryoga found his way back to them again.

Ranma didn't like forcing people to do anything, but her mother's words had brought reality crashing down on her earlier that morning. She needed to protect Akane, no matter what. Even if it meant disgracing her own honor, she would do it from this point forward. There was one last thing she could do, in hopes it would solve the issue without revealing Ryoga's curse.

"Akane..." Ranma looked back at her when she spoke. "I don't like it when P-chan is with you. I don't like being second in your mind."

"What? That's crazy!" Akane said. "How could you possibly feel like you're going to be second to a pig? A _pig_!"

Ranma gulped. She was about to let out something she'd hidden for a really long time. It was something she'd not really realized herself until recently, but she knew it'd always been true. It wasn't telling the truth about P-chan, but it was still something of a secret she would have liked to keep.

"Because you always choose the pig over me," Ranma said with her finger pointed at Akane. "I don't... I don't like it. I don't want to have to compete for your attention like that." Ranma realized she must've looked and sounded stupid at the moment, but that's why they called it swallowing your pride.

At that, Akane couldn't help, but scoff at Ranma. "Oh please," she said. "Like that's not what's been going on with your other fiancées? How do you think that makes me feel?" she asked, voice starting to quiver. "And they're actual people, not a stupid animal!"

Akane's words were a dagger right to Ranma's heart and a blow to her gut. How could she have been so stupid for so long? She'd never even considered how everything made Akane feel. She was only ever concerned with her own hide coming out without breaking a new distance record from Akane's mallet launch. "I... I had no idea," she said.

"Well, now you do!" Akane shouted, tears running down her cheeks.

Ranma felt her heart drop when she saw Akane's feelings so raw on her face. In the midst of all of the chaos, she'd managed to overlook so much, and now she'd cracked the dam. There was no going back.

"You're such an insensitive, jerk!" Akane yelled. She started to advance on Ranma, forcing her to back away. "Here I am, competing with all these girls that are taller, cuter, _sexier_, better cooks, and better martial artists, and you... you're getting jealous over a pig!A_ Pig! _You have no idea what real jealousy feels like!"

By this point, Ranma was trapped against the wall. She stared helplessly into Akane's tear filled eyes. As bad is she looked, Ranma could tell she was still just barely holding herself together. That's what really made her words hurt so much. "Akane, I'm sorry," she said.

"You're sorry... You're _sorry_!" Akane slapped Ranma. "You're sorry because you've been so stupid? Or because you're making me get rid of my pet pig?"

"I'm sorry because I've been so stupid," Ranma said. She wasn't sorry in the slightest about P-chan getting the boot.

"So you don't even care that it hurts me to do this," Akane sobbed. "Well, fine! I don't care!" She looked Ranma dead in the eyes as her tears continued to fall. Her voice was unsteady as she spoke through her sobs. "You want me to get rid of P-chan... then I _will!_ For _you_!" Akane jabbed her finger into Ranma's chest so hard it hurt the redhead. "But _you_ have to do the same for me! If you want to be the only one... then, _I _have to be the only one!"

"You already are!" Ranma shouted back. "How could you think that you aren't?"

"Because it's all been one giant secret!" Akane shouted. She'd reached her limit, and couldn't keep her emotions under control any longer. Guided by them, she punched for Ranma's face, red aura flaring to life. "I can't stand it!"

Ranma felt the sudden burst in Akane's chi before she ever saw the attack and was already rolling to the side by the time the punch was thrown. Even then, she barely dodged Akane's fist as it went through the wall. "Akane, calm down!" she yelled.

Unfortunately for Ranma, Akane was beyond reasoning. She was suffering from the burden of too many pent up emotions bloating beyond what she could manage. She pulled her hand from the wall and threw another punch at Ranma, but this time followed it with a combination of attacks.

Ranma dodged and parried all of Akane's attacks, having no desire to fight her in her current state. Akane was nearly berserk, and Ranma knew fighting back would only make it worse. "Come on! Cut it out, Akane!" she yelled.

Whether Akane knew it or not, she was using what she'd learned the past few days. Her aura was growing brighter as her chi flowed into it. As she threw more and more attacks, each one built up her aura, until she unleashed a massive wave of chi from a spin kick.

Ranma sensed the chi coming like an explosion and leapt over Akane's spin kick. Beneath her, Akane's aura blew out a wave of chi that burst wildly like fire.

"Akane, you have to calm down," Ranma pleaded. She was afraid for more than her own safety now. Akane's aura was blowing off chi in huge bursts, and it could cause a lot of damage.

Akane breathed heavily from the exertion she felt from her attacks, but did not surrender. She punched twice, launching more fire-like bursts of chi at Ranma.

Ranma flipped away from Akane's attack. She was amazed at how much power was in those bursts of chi. Akane always did have a temper, but this was completely overboard. Ranma was starting to understand why Happosai said emotions were dangerous when using chi and aura techniques.

Ranma grit her teeth. She had no choice but to fight back, and try to at least neutralize Akane's aura. As another wave of fiery chi was whipped her way, Ranma unleashed her blue aura and sent her own wave of flowing chi against it.

The two waves collided against one another into a flash of red and blue light. Akane felt the raw energy impact her body, but pressed on. She attacked again, sending another burst of chi through her fist.

Ranma could have easily dodged the attack if it had been just a normal punch, but Akane's aura gave her newfound reach. Ranma could feel the surging energy brush past her skin as she dodged to the side. She realized she couldn't dodge Akane like she always did. She had to block every attack and contain the damage. When another punch came her way, Ranma thrust her palm forward and collided her aura with Akane's.

The two continued to fight like that. Waves of red and blue chi crashing against each other as Akane attacked, and Ranma matched each with a precise block. Truthfully, Ranma would have found this exhilarating if it weren't for Akane's out of control temper. Akane's power made Ranma's body tingle every time her aura collided with hers.

Happosai grumbled as he entered the dojo. He was just about to go on a training exercise when he felt the surging energy and the heard the rather chaotic noise. "What is all this damn racket! I thought I told you to meditate!" he yelled. Then his eyes bugged out. "Whoa!"

There, right before his hungry eyes, Akane was performing a high roundhouse, causing her dress to open wide, and flash her white panties. Ranma didn't seem to be looking at them as she was blocking Akane's chi with hers by performing a backhand flick.

"Whoa-ho-ho-ho!" Happosai yelled gleefully and hopped in for a closer look. "Sweet mercy!"

Ranma heard the familiar perverted tone, and felt a sickening aura nearby. She saw the old letch appear right under Akane's open legs, eyes wide as plates. Ranma suddenly realized what he was doing, and immediately uppercut him through the roof. "Get the hell out of here, you old pervert!" she yelled.

Akane heard Ranma screaming, and then saw Happosai flying away. Ranma's quick action had also caused a mighty wind to blow her dress up even higher, and she was now chillingly aware of what the others had seen. Her anger was replaced by her classic temper, and she brought her mallet down hard on Ranma's face. "Ranma, you pervert!" she screamed.

Ranma groaned underneath the mallet. It'd been a while since she'd felt this familiar pain. While it hurt, Akane seemed to at least be calming down now.

Akane felt her body go cold as her anger was drained from her body. She released the mallet, and let it fall to the ground before falling to her hands and knees on top of Ranma. She started to cry again.

"A-Akane?" Ranma looked up to see Akane crying over her.

Akane looked into Ranma's eyes, not caring that her tears were falling onto the other girl's face. "It's just so hard, Ranma... every day," she sobbed.

"Akane... it doesn't have to be a secret," Ranma said. She was guessing at what was upsetting Akane so much. "I never really meant for it to be this way."

"No, that's not it," Akane said. "I was just really upset when I said that, and lost my temper. I think things would only be worse if we told everyone right now."

"Then what's wrong?"

Akane thought about what was really making her feel so upset, and couldn't stop herself from crying. "I want to be the only one, Ranma," she finally said. "I don't want to have to compete with them anymore."

"Akane, you _are_ the only one."

"But I still have to compete," Akane said sadly. "Ranma... You have to get rid of them."

"Oh, geez, Akane. It's not like I'm sleeping with them," Ranma retorted without really thinking.

"Ranma, I'm serious!" Akane said. "I may sleep with P-chan, but he's just a pig. You never had anything to fear from him, but I've always had reason to be afraid of Ukyo and Shampoo. I've always had to compare myself to them."

Ranma gulped. She'd talked without thinking, and had clearly chosen the wrong words. Akane had a point. If he expected her to get rid of P-chan, he had to give her the same security and lose his other fiancées. The only problem was that they weren't as easy of a problem to solve. Unlike Ryoga, the girls after Ranma _did_ force things. Stopping them was going to be one of the hardest things he'd ever have to do, and not for lack of trying.

Ranma took Akane's shoulders and squeezed them. "Okay," she said. "I'll get rid of them."

Akane sniffed. "Really?" she asked.

"Of course," Ranma said as seriously as possible. "It's not like I wanted them in the first place."

"You didn't want this one either," Akane sniffed.

"Well, I do now," Ranma muttered and blushed.

"You really mean it?"

"Of course I mean it."

"Do you... really think you'll be able to convince them to leave?" Akane asked. She didn't think either of them would go without a fight. She hadn't mentioned Kodachi in the bunch, because Akane knew she was no real threat for Ranma's affections, and far too crazy to be convinced to leave him alone.

Ranma couldn't deny Akane's doubts, because she had the same ones. "I won't promise to get them completely out of my life, but I'll make sure they understand you're the one I'm in love with," she said.

Akane felt her voice catch in her throat. She still wasn't used to Ranma's forwardness with his feelings. While there was no doubt in her mind that Ranma was serious, she had developed these insecurities over the past year, and couldn't just flip them off like a switch.

Ranma could see that Akane still wasn't quite convinced, and she couldn't blame her. After over a year of verbal abuse about her image, she had every right to be insecure about her standing with the other fiancées. Ranma would just have to do her best to convince her otherwise. "I won't let anything come between us, Akane" she said.

Akane smiled at Ranma. Things were going to be tough, but she knew Ranma would do his best. He always did, and that was enough for her. As long as he tried to resolve things with Shampoo and Ukyo, she could be patient with him. It was worth the sacrifice of not having P-chan around.

Akane felt herself slowly gravitating towards Ranma's face. She lowered towards her until their foreheads touched, and their lips were a bare inch apart.

Ranma could feel Akane's breath on her face as she looked into her brown eyes. They were still shiny from her tears, but looked so blissful as they gazed back. The scent of her hair was pulling her in, nearly making her forget that she was also a girl at the moment. Without thinking, she started to rub Akane's shoulders.

Akane sighed to Ranma's touch and gazed into her blue eyes. They were laced with desire, and she felt the same way. She was still quite aware that Ranma was in her girl form, evident by their breasts pressing against each other. Despite that, she felt conflicted by her feelings for the man within the female beneath her.

Akane felt a numbness in her stomach swirling around her current passions. These conflicting feelings caused her to be confused, and she was looking for an answer in Ranma's eyes.

The two laid perfectly still in their duel of wills. Their lips were getting closer ever so slowly as they pitted their feelings over both being girls against their overall desires for contact. Ranma moved her hands from Akane's shoulders to rub slowly down her back. Akane gasped in reaction to Ranma's hands, and arched against her as they stopped at the small of her back. Ranma wanted her, no matter what, and she was coming to the same conclusion.

The moment tensed as their noses touched, and their bodies reacted. Akane couldn't believe she was actually considering doing this, but this girl was still Ranma. Maybe this was going to help her overcome her troubles with his curse. All she had to do was let her face drop and touch Ranma's lips with her own. At the last second, something held her back, though. Something broke through her passion and shouted the reality that Ranma was a girl. "No..." she barely whispered and pulled back.

A sudden flash, click, and a loud thud broke the moment. Ranma and Akane shot back to attention and looked over to the entrance to the dojo. Nabiki was on the ground with her camera looking rather embarrassed at getting caught. "Damn, and it was going to be so good," she said.

"Nabiki!" Akane yelled. She was off of Ranma in an instant and glaring at her sister.

"Hey, Akane," Nabiki said coolly. "Having fun 'training'?"

Akane growled, but couldn't hide her blush. She wasn't going to let her get away with this. "Give me that camera!" she screamed and started running for Nabiki.

"Now, now, Akane," Nabiki said as she started running. "Someday, you'll look back on this photo as a happy memory!"

"Oh, right!" Akane shouted back sarcastically. "Because you're really thinking of my memories right now!"

Akane chased Nabiki from the dojo and towards the house, leaving Ranma seated on the ground. She was thinking about what had just happened, or nearly happened. Things were starting to get really serious. She thought they were before, but now issues she'd never considered were being brought up. She had a lot of things to take care of.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Kakusareta ryū no dansu= Dance of the Hidden Dragon, or hidden dragon dance. I'd like to thank AliceTheBookGirl for helping me figure out the translation.

Oh, so close. So close to that Akane+Ran-chan kiss scene, but their bad luck struck again! The conclusion of this chapter is one of the moments of serendipity that magically happens in writing. I struggled with figuring a way for Ranma to approach Akane about P-chan for a couple of days, and then it all just flowed right out when I went with a straight approach. Things ended up being more emotional than any of my other ideas.

Ah, Nodoka, the great mystery that is Ranma's mother. She's a tough character to get right, much like Ukyo. She's your model Japanese wife, but also has a very strong, assertive side to her. At least, I think she does. I wanted to tap into her scolding mother side in this chapter, because it seemed like just the thing to whip Ranma into shape, and he still got to keep his promise to Ryoga, for now.

Got a nice long chapter after 15 being a rather short one. Plenty of stuff is happening now as we just about hit the half point.

People posted reviews with a lot of different theories and opinions on Ryoga's secret, and Akane's feelings over Ranma's girl form that have helped give me more perspective. I now think my handling of P-chan's behavior is a bit off for being after the manga, but it's still workable for the sake of the story. I did choose to dial it back just a tad, though.

On an unrelated note, I am totally pumped after seeing the new Man of Steel trailer, and I don't even like Superman. You should check it out, if you haven't already!

**Edit:** I've edited the chapter after reading some reviews and private messages regarding Ranma's "promise". I evidently remembered the chain of events wrong, so I've gone back to make Ranma's talk with Nodoka more accurate. Thank to everyone that pointed it out.

I would also like to elaborate on Nodoka's opinion of Genma. While it's true that Genma has shown on countless occasions he'd shove anyone under the bus for his own sake, Nodoka is referring to a younger Genma that was trying to court her. She is basically being delusional in her memory of a man doing whatever it took to win her heart. Also, Genma did claim he'd shoulder any shame for the sake of his son the first time the nekoken was triggered in the manga/anime. So, I think we can assume that deep down, there is a part of him like that.

**AliceTheBookGirl:** It's unrealistic for all of the characters to come out with happy endings, given a lot of them all want the same thing that can't go to all of them. I also can't say if I'll have all of them progressing that much, because Ranma and Akane are the main focus. Shampoo's story in particular will be touched on the most of any of the other characters, but her return to honor would be its own mega story on its own. That's not to say I won't conclude it. It's just that it won't be gone into great detail, and probably mostly be explained by flashbacks to key events, much like the explanation of her curse in the manga.

**tuatara:** Thanks for the input, it helped a lot. I was thinking all along that it was weird that someone as sharp as Nabiki wouldn't put the pieces together, but you're 100% correct that if she did, she'd be blackmailing him, which she never does.

**Richard Ryley:** A lot of good input on many subjects. I have come to realize my representation of P-chan is a bit more to the earlier days of the manga, and he's more assertive, and normal later on. I'm writing his part as being high on emotions though, so I think it acceptable. It's really just his behavior for this specific part of the story to help spur it on. Like always, he'll forget about it the next time he wanders by and find something else to make up his mind for him.

I can see a lot of different things working out for Akane's feelings on Ranma's girl form. It is obvious she is more comfortable with Ranma as a girl, maybe because she feels that the people around them will just think of them as being friends as opposed to a couple when Ranma's a guy. I also think the romantic feelings do represent several possibilities. In her mind, Ranma is Ranma, but it's how she thinks things will feel and appear with her girl form that give me pause when I write. I don't think she's bisexual, as some people do. I just don't think the manga really hints at that without reading too much into things. I do think that she's possibly worried she'll like it if they were to kiss as girls.

**Compucles:** Yeah, I've assumed that Ukyo knows about Ryoga's curse as well. It's also true that Akane's obliviousness to Ryoga's connection to P-chan is near Kuno levels. Of course, at least she's not coming up with ridiculous theories like black magic to explain it away.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	17. Law

Ryoga had no idea how long he'd been running since Akane had yelled at him. He was still in his cursed form, which didn't help any with navigation. Everything was so damn big when he was a little black piglet. Grass was taller than him, making even the Tendo yard a jungle to get through. Just how big was the Tendo yard anyways? He felt like it was taking forever to get back into the house so he could hide in Akane's room. And since when did they replace the stone walkway with a concrete sidewalk?

Truthfully, Ryoga, as P-chan, had left the Tendo household the instant he took off running in the opposite direction Akane had directed him to leave her and Nodoka. He was now a good twenty minutes of a straight line dash away, and nearly at the business district of Nerima.

_Akane, what's happened to you?_ P-chan oinked sadly as he continued to run along the street. _Why did you yell at me?_

People looked at the little black piglet as it sprinted by, wondering what had such a small animal so worked up.

_Why can't I seem to get out of their yard? This is all Ranma's fault! _P-chan oinked madly. _I'll make him pay for this!_

P-chan continued to run forward with his eyes closed tightly against his tears. It wasn't until he bumped into someone's foot that he finally opened them.

Shampoo recognized the little piglet immediately. She wondered what had the lost boy so upset. She'd never seen him run crying as a pig before. Normally, she'd find such a thing worthy of some ridicule, but she wasn't in the mood.

P-chan grunted and rubbed his head. Whatever he ran into hit him pretty damn hard, and his ears were ringing. He opened his bleary eyes to see Shampoo standing looking down at him. "Bwee?" he oinked.

"What pig boy so upset about?" Shampoo asked, not the least bit spritely like she usually was. She was looking at P-chan dispassionately.

P-chan started to oink and squeal like a crazed pig at the question. Shampoo watched the display for a moment, until it finally calmed down enough to stop its fussing. She picked him up and stared blankly at his upset face.

"Stupid, Ryoga," she said. "Shampoo no speak pig."

P-chan snorted sadly. He needed some hot water.

Shampoo thought about whether or not she wanted to bother with Ryoga's problem. More than likely, it involved fighting Ranma over Akane, or something else totally stupid, which she couldn't get involved in. Still, she was curious, and if anything, it'd give her something to think about besides her own problems. She decided it couldn't hurt to hear him out.

"Shampoo get you some hot water," she said to the disgruntled pig. She held him out in front of her carelessly as she walked back to the Nekohoten.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter XVII: Law**

* * *

"P-chan!" Akane called out as she looked for her lost pet.

She'd been searching for the little piglet for a good fifteen minutes now, ever since she finally struck a deal with Nabiki over whatever photos she may have taken in the dojo. To her annoyance, she couldn't even find the little guy so she could do as she promised, and get rid of him.

Akane had searched the whole yard, and was now beginning to look through the house. So far, no one said they'd seen him when asked, and Akane was starting to think he'd gotten lost again.

"Honestly, where is that pig?" Akane asked as she stepped out through the back door. She wasn't looking forward to having to get rid of her pet piglet, so the fact that it may have gotten lost again kind of calmed her nerves a little. Still, she wasn't quite ready to give up just yet. "P-chan!" she called out again.

"Lost your pet, dear?" Nodoka asked.

Akane looked over to see Ranma's mother hanging up laundry to dry on the clotheslines. She remembered how she'd acted towards P-chan earlier, and wondered if maybe she'd chased him off.

"Sort of..." Akane said. "You wouldn't happen to have seen him around, would you?"

"Not since before we talked, I'm afraid," she said.

Akane didn't believe Nodoka was really sorry for not knowing where P-chan was. She didn't know if Ranma had maybe complained to his mother about P-chan, but she clearly didn't like him being around either. "Well, I guess it's not a big deal if he's run away again," she said.

"Oh? And why is that?" Nodoka asked.

"I promised Ranma that I'd get rid of him."

"Really?" Nodoka turned around and gave Akane a shocked expression, but upon seeing her, she felt even more surprised by what she saw.

Akane looked like she had been crying from her slightly puffy eyes and rosy cheeks. Her clothes were a little rough, like she'd been fighting, unfortunate for such a cute dress, and her hair was disheveled.

"Akane, what's happened?" Nodoka asked, looking concerned. "You look awful."

"Uh... it's nothing," Akane said. She ran her hand through her hair to smooth it a bit. "Ranma was pretty insistent about me getting rid of P-chan. It got pretty ugly for a minute, but we came to an understanding."

"What kind of understanding?" Nodoka was curious if Ranma had told Akane the truth, or found some way to keep his promise, but still take care of the problem. She was leaning towards the latter, since Akane wasn't on a murderous rampage, but it was apparently bad enough that she'd cried.

"That's between me and Ranma," Akane said and blushed.

"Oh dear... my manly son," Nodoka whispered to herself at Akane's flush. Whatever Ranma had done, he'd made it all better, just like a man should.

"Er... it wasn't anything like that," Akane insisted.

"Oh, you make such a cute couple," Nodoka said sweetly.

Akane mumbled in frustration and turned to hide her increasingly pink face. "Just keep that to yourself, alright?"

"Of course, dear," Nodoka said, sounding serious again. "It's up to my manly son to break the news."

Akane didn't know if she should have been annoyed by Nodoka's praise of her son, or thankful she was actually going to leave it up to him. Before she could decide, Nodoka continued to speak.

"Oh, it will be a glorious moment when he does," she said. She clasped her hands together and her eyes twinkled brightly as she envisioned her manly son declaring his love for Akane in front of everyone. It was the very epitome of manliness in her mind.

Akane stared back at Nodoka feeling a little ill at the glow that was coming from her face. She just knew that the older woman was dreaming up something about her son, and that it was probably over-bloated with what she considered manliness. She just shook her head at Ranma's mother's behavior and turned to leave. "Well, if you see P-chan, let me know," she said.

Nodoka fell out of her day dream and cleared her throat. She straightened a shirt on the clothesline. "Don't you worry, I will," Nodoka answered. Unseen to Akane, she slid her thumb along the strap of her katana sheath that was across her chest when she had said that.

Akane walked back into the house and sighed. She'd spent enough time looking for P-chan. Wherever he was, he wasn't around the house anymore. She decided she'd just take care of it if he ever came back. With that in mind, she took a look at herself, remembering how shocked Nodoka had been by her appearance.

"I should probably go change," she said as she surveyed her dress.

"Done searching for your pet?" Nabiki suddenly asked from the stairway.

"Yeah," Akane answered. "He's probably gotten lost again."

"That's too bad," Nabiki said. She liked it when the little guy was around, since it seemed to make Akane happy, and provided hours of entertainment when Ranma got involved.

"Well... I'm sure he'll be back eventually," Akane said. She didn't want to mention the agreement to her scheming sister until after it was a done deal. "I'm gonna go change into something more presentable."

"Okay, but when you're done, get Ranma and come to my room," Nabiki said as Akane passed her up the stairs.

"Mmm? What for?"

"I have something I need to talk to you about," she said with a smirk.

Akane gulped loudly at her sister's grinning face. She was dreading what she could have meant as she walked up the stairs and to her room.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Shampoo took a kettle from the stove she'd been at and carried it to the black piglet in the far corner. She poured it over the pig and looked away as Ryoga transformed back into a human, completely naked.

Once the kettle was empty, Shampoo turned her back to the blushing boy and set it back on the stove. "You come talk when dressed," she said.

Ryoga said nothing and waited for Shampoo's footsteps to disappear back into the restaurant. He picked up the set of clothing she'd left by him. They were the same clothes he always wore, amazingly. Probably a random set he'd left behind after transforming. It was strange how fate always gifted him his favorite set of clothes no matter where or how he transformed into a little pig.

Ryoga got dressed and began walking towards the front of the kitchen. Since it was a dead end room with only one door, he didn't get lost, for once, and exited the kitchen into the restaurant.

Shampoo was waiting for Ryoga at a table while Cologne was perched on her staff by the kitchen entrance. Mousse was also present, but was busy, or rather, trying to look busy. The often blind Chinese man was seated at another table, organizing chopsticks of all things, as if the wooden sticks needed to be matched by length, color, smoothness, and their bent angles. The silent tension in the room was thick, and even Ryoga could feel it.

Ryoga looked at the young Amazon curiously while he approached. She had her legs and arms crossed, and was staring forward with a blank expression. He'd never seen her like that before, and it made him nervous.

"Thanks for the water," he said as he joined her at the table.

Shampoo didn't change how she was sitting when Ryoga sat down across from her. "So what your story?" she asked, not really looking like she was interested.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but there is no story," Ryoga lied. "I was just lost."

"Pig boy is bad liar," Shampoo said, showing just the slightest frown on her lips. "Shampoo find pig crying."

"It's none of your business!" Ryoga yelled.

"So Shampoo right," she said with her nose tilted up at him. "There _is_ story."

Ryoga grumbled. He'd been caught, but that still didn't mean he had to tell her anything he'd seen or heard about Akane and Ranma. Everything about it just pissed him off too much. So much, in fact, that he was now growling.

"Pig boy better talk before temper turn him into steam pork sandwich," Shampoo said.

"It's that damn Ranma," Ryoga growled. "It's all his fault!"

Shampoo rolled her eyes. That's all Ryoga ever talked about whenever something was wrong. She was starting to regret helping him. This wasn't helping get her mind off things at all.

"He... he did things to Akane!" Ryoga ranted. "That no good bastard! How dare he!"

"Shampoo no want to hear about Ranma," Shampoo said flatly. She was now squinting in Ryoga's direction.

"He... he tricked her is what he did!" Ryoga yelled, completely missing what the Amazon had said. "Saying he loves her!"

Shampoo's squint turned to a glare for a second, but it quickly faded back to her blank face. Behind her, Cologne was watching them closely. "And that make pig boy cry?"

"No... And I wasn't crying! It just sounds like that when I'm a pig, is all," he blushed slightly.

Shampoo scowled. "So why pig so upset?"

Ryoga strained to keep himself from blurting out the truth, or what he believed to be the truth. He didn't want to remember. At seeing Shampoo's rather cold gaze, he suddenly saw a way out. "You're awfully calm about this," he said.

"Shampoo have no reason not to be calm," she said flatly. She was making every effort to remain under control.

"Then maybe you didn't hear me," Ryoga leaned his elbow on the table. "I said Ranma told Akane he loves her."

"Shampoo hear first time," she said. Her irritation was starting to show.

"So, shouldn't you go running to Ranma and setting him straight?" he grinned so hard a fang showed over his lips. One good Amazon law glomp and Akane would give Ranma what he deserved.

"Humph," Shampoo looked away.

"What? That's it?" Ryoga asked, shocked.

"Shampoo have nothing to say to Ranma, or Akane," she said, although it was obvious she was holding something back as she spoke.

"I don't believe you," Ryoga looked at Shampoo judgingly.

"Then that pig boy's problem," Shampoo huffed.

"Just why are you acting so strange anyway?" Ryoga asked.

"Shampoo is not acting."

"Oh, so this isn't some elaborate scheme," Ryoga said, unbelieving. "What's wrong? Did you use a potion on Ranma only to have it backfire?" he asked mockingly. He meant to insult her, but part of him hoped that's what was going on, and that it would all wear off in time. From what Akane told him, the Amazons were quite fond of using potions in their food.

Ryoga's verbal jab struck Shampoo in the wrong way. In the blink of an eye she grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm painfully, nearly breaking it. Ryoga gasped in pain from the sudden attack. "Stupid pig boy should watch what he say!" she hissed.

The sudden attack did not cause a reaction in Cologne, or Mousse. They both watched from where they were, neither showing any concern. Cologne, however, was on edge over Shampoo's outburst. Mousse, on the other hand, felt conflicted. He just couldn't figure out what was going on.

Mousse watched Shampoo from where he was sitting. Her seething rage was so raw, it made him feel nervous to even be in the same room. He honestly couldn't remember ever seeing her like this before, even after Ranma had defeated her when they all thought he was really a girl.

"Arg, so it was a potion," Ryoga said through clenched teeth. He was being pressed down against the table by Shampoo's hold on his arm. Her vice-like grip surprised him more than anything else. It felt like she could snap his bones in her hand if she wanted to.

Shampoo heard the word 'potion' and twisted Ryoga's arm just a little more, causing the boy to wince. "Shampoo no use potion," she growled at him, daring him to keep talking and give her an excuse to do it. To her delight, Ryoga wasn't very smart.

"Yeah, right," Ryoga grinned, despite the pain shooting up his arm. "Heh... you're pathetic...AH!" he cried out when Shampoo twisted and bent his arm so it was straining at his elbow and his shoulder.

Cologne had seen enough. She was disappointed in her great granddaughter's lack of control, but couldn't exactly blame her. She hopped over and lightly tapped the girl's shoulder with her staff. "That's enough," she said.

Shampoo didn't want to stop. Ryoga represented a chance to vent without violating her punishment. She didn't want to anger her great grandmother any further though, so she released his arm. When Cologne raised her staff from her shoulder, she stood up and let her elder get between her and Ryoga.

Ryoga groaned and slowly sat up while pressing his hurt shoulder tightly.

"Shampoo hasn't used any potions on Ranma, or Akane," Cologne said to Ryoga.

"She hasn't? Then... why did she react like that?"

Cologne showed no sign of emotion towards Ryoga's question when she answered. "Shampoo is dealing with Amazon matters right now," she said.

"What? Something more important and insane than your marriage law?" Ryoga ran off his mouth.

Cologne twirled her staff and sent Ryoga's head to the table with a swift strike. "Do not insult our traditions," she warned.

Ryoga rubbed his head and grumbled. "Just what the hell is going on? Why is everyone acting so strange about this?"

"Strange about what? I don't even know what you're so worked up over!" Cologne said.

"Are you deaf!" Ryoga yelled. "Ranma and Akane are... are..."

"Why don't you explain to me exactly what you saw?" Cologne asked. She was curious about what sort of developments between Ranma and Akane were happening, after all.

"I already told you. Ranma told Akane he loves her," Ryoga growled and tensed as he spoke.

Cologne had heard that much, and even suspected it herself. She knew better than to take Ryoga's word on anything involving Ranma, or Akane, however, as it usually involved blindness on his part. "So you witnessed him do this?" Cologne raised an eyebrow.

"Well... no... Akane told me," Ryoga scratched his head nervously.

"And you were... a _person_ when this happened?" Cologne asked, voice starting to rise. She was vaguely aware of Ryoga exploiting his curse around Akane, but wasn't sure how.

"Er... no..." Ryoga said sheepishly.

"So you were a pig..." Cologne shook her head in disgust. "Where?" she glared.

Ryoga at least at least had the decency to look a little ashamed about what he'd done. "I was, uh... in bed with Akane."

Cologne scowled and smacked Ryoga over the head again. While she supported Ryoga so far in that his interference could always aid Shampoo's cause, she found such behavior most unbecoming. It reminded her too much of that pervert Happosai, and her tribe hated people like him. "You're despicable," she said.

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Ryoga insisted. "This damn curse is all Ranma's fault!"

Cologne whacked Ryoga a third time, this time causing the table to crack from the impact of his face. She thought him using his curse to get into a woman's bed was bad enough, but to also not take responsibility for his actions was just unbelievable. She didn't know if Ryoga was telling the truth about Ranma's words, but she no longer cared.

"I've heard enough," Cologne said and pointed her staff at Ryoga. "Do not trouble yourself with matters that do not involve you."

"Like hell it doesn't involve me!" Ryoga yelled. "Akane told me herself! I have to protect her!"

Cologne shook her head and sighed. This boy's stubbornness was giving her a headache. She couldn't believe he could be so swept up in his delusions to the point of being so insensitive to the people around him. She wanted to just get rid of him, and she knew just the way. "If that's what you think, you'd best go find her then," she said.

"Huh?" Ryoga blinked.

"You're not going to protect Akane by staying here," Cologne said sternly. "So, go on and find her," she ordered.

"I will!" Ryoga stood and declared. He was off marching, right up the stairs leading to Cologne and Shampoo's apartment above the restaurant. "I'm coming, Akane!"

Cologne sighed and hopped after Ryoga. She struck him with her staff and then used it to throw him out the front door. She shook her head after Ryoga was gone. It was just too hard to believe how easily he became obsessed with a single thought.

"Idiot," she muttered. She felt bad that he might cause trouble, but she also knew it'd probably be at least a couple weeks before he found his way back. Maybe that was enough time to resolve some of the things that were happening. They didn't need him complicating the situation anymore than it already was.

Cologne looked over to see that Shampoo had busied herself with scrubbing the tables. She knew that hearing about Ranma and Akane had struck her, and not being able to do anything about it was probably tearing her up inside. "Shampoo, let's talk for a moment," she said.

Shampoo looked up at her elder and nodded.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ranma and Akane sat nervously on the floor of Nabiki's room while the older Tendo sister sorted through some things on her desk. Ranma had changed after a cold bath into her white vest while Akane had opted to just wear her gi the rest of the day, rather than have to change a second time before she trained. They were both wondering what those pieces of paper were. Were they photos? That seemed the most likely, but they looked too thin.

Nabiki finished organizing her notes and straightened them before turning around. "So, I've finished looking through that book of Amazon laws," she smiled coolly.

Ranma and Akane both perked up. "And?" they said together.

Nabiki smirked. "And, what are you offering in exchange?" she asked.

Akane and Ranma both groaned. They completely forgotten that Nabiki was charging them for her services. "What do you want?" Akane asked.

"What do you have?" Nabiki asked, grinning.

"You leave Akane out of this," Ranma said quickly. "Take all the photos of me you want!"

"Hmm... tempting," Nabiki tapped her lip in thought. Ranma's rather strong insistence that Akane be left alone was interesting. "But no."

"Then what do you want?" Ranma asked.

"An information exchange," Nabiki answered.

"What kind of information," Akane asked with a cautious glance.

"That's up to you," Nabiki said with an inquisitive look. "Just make sure it's value is worth what you want."

Ranma and Akane looked at each other for answers. It was unusual for Nabiki to leave the bargaining table so open, but that also meant they could end up giving her a lot more than they needed to. They immediately knew what could get them everything out of Nabiki, but neither of them were comfortable with giving out that information.

"Can't you just ask us for something specific?" Akane asked.

Nabiki's smirk grew at hearing Akane's question. To her, that meant they had something juicy to hide. "Sounds like you have something of value," she said.

At that, Ranma and Akane both blushed and dropped their faces. Nabiki looked at them kneeling in front of her, neither wanting to talk. She could tell whatever she'd suspected was going on was big, even for them. Akane had already admitted they'd kissed, but their expressions told her there was so much more. Still, Nabiki had promised her sister to keep it a secret. At least, she promised her she'd keep what _she_ told her a secret.

"Alright," she said. She stood up between them and placed one of her hands on each of the girls' shoulders. "I'm not an unreasonable person," she said while squeezing their shoulders. "I'll transfer your debt to Ranma, my dear sister."

"Wait," Akane said.

"Akane, it's okay," Ranma said and stood up. She started to unbutton her vest.

"Whoa, there, Saotome," Nabiki stopped her. "I told you, this is an information exchange."

"So, what do you want from me?" Ranma asked.

Nabiki sat back down at her desk chair and crossed her legs while she leaned over so her elbow was on her knee with her hand holding her face up. "Just some answers," she said.

"Alright, shoot," Ranma said and swallowed. After her mother's interrogation, she was sure this would be a cake walk.

"Why don't you give us some privacy?" Nabiki smiled slyly at Akane.

Akane looked up to Ranma. The redhead nodded to her, so she stood up and left the room.

Nabiki waited until the door was closed and looked Ranma right in the eyes. "So, Saotome, you're willing to pay Akane's side of the bargain."

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, it's just... so generous of you," Nabiki stretched.

Ranma gulped. Nabiki using the word generous hinted at steep prices.

"You can relax, Saotome," Nabiki insisted. "I just want to know how you feel about my sister, is all." She raised her eyebrows at Ranma and gave her a sly smile.

Ranma was sure her entire head was red from the heat she felt. "W-what do you mean?" she asked.

"Oh, you know, just trying to connect the dots," Nabiki said. "That photo you'd asked me for, the kiss you gave Akane..."

Ranma blushed so hard her pigtail went upright. "She told you about that?" she squeaked.

"Akane's not too good at hiding her feelings if you know what to look for," Nabiki grinned. "Don't worry, I promised I'd tell no one..."

Ranma sighed in relief.

"At school," Nabiki finished with her hand out. "1000 yen and the secret never comes out at home."

Ranma groaned, but put up no argument. She was in a bad bargaining position, since she wasn't just trying to stop information from spreading, but also obtain some from the master dealer. She dug into her pocket and fished out the money she'd prepared to spend for Nabiki's information and crammed a bill onto her palm. "There," she grunted.

"A pleasure," Nabiki said as she took the bill and placed it on the desk behind her. "So, what _was_ that kiss all about, mm?"

"It was no big deal," Ranma lied.

"Akane didn't seem to think so," Nabiki said and noted Ranma's deepening blush. "Where'd it happen?"

"Er... well," Ranma glanced over to the wall that was between Nabiki and Akane's rooms.

"Her room?" Nabiki gasped dramatically. "Saotome, you are a bold one."

"It just happened, ok?" Ranma half lied. She'd completely intended to do it, but the location wasn't her choice.

"Were you a girl when this happened?" Nabiki asked. She knew Ranma had to remain a girl at present.

"What? Of course not!" Ranma shot back. "I'd never... well..." she suddenly found she couldn't finish her thoughts, so she just shut up.

"Well, that's good to know," Nabiki smiled a little genuinely. "Even I was a little worried Akane might be, well, you know."

"That's not very nice, Nabiki," Ranma said.

"Hey, I never said I thought differently about her because of what I thought might be happening," Nabiki said sternly. She couldn't wait to collect on that betting pool though. "So, how was it?" she asked while giving Ranma a mischievous look.

Ranma leaned back as if taken by surprise. "How was what?"

Nabiki rolled her eyes at how clueless Ranma could be. "The kiss, Saotome. I could tell by the way Akane was behaving it wasn't a small peck on the cheek."

Ranma became increasingly flustered and started to babble as she answered. "It was on the lips, alright? It just happened. I just took her in my arms, and did it. That's it. No big deal."

Nabiki had to focus in order to stop from laughing. Ranma was even worse than Akane sometimes. "So you were a man, with her, alone in her room..." Nabiki was speaking seductively, leaning towards Ranma's face with half lidded eyes. "Holding her...Kissing her by her bed..."

"Hey! It was nothing like that!" Ranma said. "For one thing, we were on the floor!"

"The floor!" Nabiki repeated, mocking surprise. "Saotome, you animal!"

"Ah! I didn't mean like that!" Ranma waved her arms frantically.

"My goodness," Nabiki said as she fanned herself with a piece of paper. "I can see why Akane wanted it to be a secret."

"Yeah, well, you know how everyone is around here," Ranma muttered.

"Ah, yes, the wedding crew," Nabiki pictured just how much Ranma and Akane dreaded their fathers finding out.

"And don't you go telling them," Ranma warned her.

"I'm hurt," Nabiki put her hand to her chest. "You already paid for my silence, Saotome."

"Well, I guess I've never heard of you going back on a paid agreement," Ranma admitted with her arms crossed.

"That's right, you haven't," Nabiki said with her usual cool tone. "On to the next order of business... why'd you do it?"

Ranma's body went rigid, much to Nabiki's enjoyment. The way she could make Ranma dance was an exquisite indulgence for Nabiki. She truly relished the power of manipulation it allowed her. Seeing the poor girl squirm like this was payment enough, but she wouldn't tell her.

"I dunno," Ranma lied.

"Well, if you have nothing to say then..." Nabiki turned around as if the conversation was over.

"Wait!" Ranma cried.

Nabiki turned so she could see her through the corner of her eye. "Yes?" she asked expectedly.

Ranma was trembling as she spoke her next words. "If you really must know... I did it, because I wanted to... show her I.. care about her," she said.

"Care? How disappointing," Nabiki said with heavy disinterest.

Ranma's eye twitched from Nabiki's apparent disinterest with her explanation. She was picking at her, and she knew it, but she wanted to know what Nabiki had found out. She _needed_ to find out about those Amazon laws. "Alright," Ranma grumbled.

"Yes?" Nabiki smirked.

Ranma formed a diamond between her thumbs and index fingers and fidgeted them nervously. "I sort of... said something after."

"Oh?" Nabiki leaned in.

Ranma gulped and leaned in and covered her mouth with her hand to keep her voice from being too loud. Nabiki saw what Ranma was doing and turned so her ear was to her lips. When Ranma whispered into her ear, her eyes went wide. What a bomb.

Ranma leaned back and blushed under Nabiki's wide eyes. Nabiki chuckled as she recovered her composure. "You _do_ know how to deliver, Saotome," she said.

Ranma remained looking at the ground uncomfortably. "So, you'll tell us what's in that book now?"

Nabiki held out her hand, "10,000 yen," she said.

Ranma stared blankly at Nabiki's hand. "What?"

Nabiki smiled. "My silence fee."

"Hey! I already paid for your silence!"

"That was for silence about the kiss," Nabiki said with her finger in the air. She raised a second finger, "this is for silence over your little declaration."

"10,000 is kinda steep," Ranma muttered. "Even for that."

"Well, you said you'd accept Akane's debt in the matter," Nabiki grinned.

"Can't you be merciful?" Ranma groaned, nearly pleading. "Akane's birthday is soon."

Nabiki considered holding a hard line against Ranma. She had her reputation to uphold, but she could see that Ranma was serious. She decided she would indeed be merciful, but only because it was for her sister. "Very well... 5000 it is," she said.

Ranma looked through her money and handed Nabiki over half of it. "There," she said.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Saotome," Nabiki said as she counted the money. "You can let Akane in now."

Ranma opened the door to let Akane in while Nabiki put away the money she'd made. Akane had obviously listened through the door from the look on her face. Her eyes looked at Ranma apologetically while her cheeks were slightly pink.

Nabiki gathered her notes and spun her chair around as Ranma and Akane sat down on the floor. "Alright, here's all I got." she said.

Nabiki handed notes to Akane and Ranma while she kept her own set. "Without knowing exactly what happened to Shampoo, it's kind of hard to say for certain, but, that law about the tribe coming first is very telling."

Ranma and Akane were quiet as they listened and read the notes.

"I took the liberty of listing the two laws we know about," Nabiki pointed while the others nodded. "And... I found out something interesting. Shampoo is in line to become a tribe elder."

"She is?" Akane asked.

"Yup," Nabiki flipped to a page and pointed at a rather long list of laws. "It would seem that elders are succeeded by an heir they choose themselves, so that they can keep the honor in their family. Now, we know that Shampoo is Cologne's great granddaughter, so it could be any other member in between, _but_ Cologne did tell us she was her heir after she stopped Shampoo's attack on you."

"Yeah, I remember," Akane said.

Nabiki looked over to Ranma, "You've also said she's their best warrior, Saotome."

"Yeah, the best of her generation," Ranma nodded.

"Being the best warrior gives her immediate status in their society, and a natural choice as Cologne's heir," Nabiki said. "Now, here's the tricky part." Nabiki pointed at a circled set of laws on the same page. "Once an elder decides on an heir, that's it. They can't take it back and select another. This is important, because if the heir isn't in an honorable standing at the time the elder passes, they lose the seat."

"So, you think that Shampoo's done something to lose her honor?" Ranma asked as a chill ran down her spine. She hoped it didn't have to do with either defeat she'd delivered, or the kiss of death she'd given Akane.

"Yes, and it had to be something big," Nabiki said and directed them to flip to another page with several laws written in red. "There's only a handful of ways Shampoo could find disgrace outside of the village."

Ranma and Akane read the short list, already crossing off the one about returning from an honor quest in defeat. To their understanding, that one was nullified when Ranma turned out to be a male. The others were more unsettling.

"Well, despite how she's acted in the past, I think we can assume she's still a virgin," Akane said, slightly strained.

"She doesn't have to be a virgin," Nabiki said pointedly. "She just can't have mated with someone other than her airen." Nabiki smiled towards Ranma.

Akane glared over at Ranma.

"Hey, don't look at me like that!" Ranma shouted. "Like hell I did anything with her!"

"So then we cross it off the list," Akane said, still glaring at him just a little.

"You bet we do!" Ranma said adamantly.

Nabiki smiled at the little exchange. Her sister had Ranma very well trained. "And I think we can cross off dishonorable murder," she said.

"Barely," Akane muttered.

"Which leaves the one about marriage," Ranma said and cringed. The third possibility on the list involved dishonorable failure to marry a claimed male.

"I don't think it's that one," Nabiki said.

"Why not?" Akane asked.

"Well, there's a lot of amendments to the marriage law," Nabiki said. "For one thing, it's only a dishonorable failure if she gives up. I doubt that's what's happened."

"Yeah, I don't think she'd try to kill me if she was giving up," Akane said grimly.

"Her claim is on hold as long as she's without honor, though," Nabiki added. "Evidently, an Amazon without honor isn't worthy of claiming a husband. Her claim is wiped out if Ranma is married before she gets out of her dishonor."

"Oh joy," Ranma groaned. "So all we have to do is get married."

"Try not to sound too excited," Akane said, obviously irritated by Ranma's lack of enthusiasm. You'd think he'd be okay with it after everything they'd been through.

"I'd just rather not be married for any reason other than how I feel, is all," Ranma said sternly.

Ranma didn't like being forced into anything, period, even if it was something he may have wanted to do. No one forces Ranma Saotome, if he can help it. That's how he always thought about things, even though he held his family's honor in high regard.

Thinking about his family's honor made Ranma feel strange. It was his duty to marry a Tendo to satisfy the agreement, and retain his family's honor. As rebellious as he was, he'd still stuck around and sort of been okay with it. Now, things were different. It was strange to think that being in love with Akane now made the agreement feel like an insult to their relationship, be that as it may. It was funny, in a way. He had the agreement to thank for even meeting Akane, but now it felt like a blemish on their own feelings.

"Relax, you two," Nabiki fanned them both with her stack of notes. "No one is suggesting you two get hitched to nullify Shampoo's claim. Besides, your engagement is trouble enough for her."

"Oh?" they both asked in unison.

"Akane's engagement technically came first, so she has first dibs," Nabiki gave a sly smile. "Plus, you defeated Shampoo in defense of your fiancée, so the kiss of marriage should have never been given in the first place."

"Is that so?" Ranma asked.

"Yup, Amazons take great pride in their honor, and that includes not stealing men that are defending the woman with claim on them," Nabiki explained.

Ranma scoffed at the very notion that anyone had claim on him, even if he did consider himself devoted to Akane. Of course, he never considered himself to be devoted to anyone, but Akane, even if he hadn't admitted it in the past. The others were just too intent on having claim on him, and that's what bugged him more than the girls themselves.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to the redhead. "Wait a minute, Cologne said nothing about any of this when she first came here," she said.

"You can't fight the law unless you know it," Nabiki said. "She was taking advantage of our ignorance. Think about it. They wave these laws in your face, you marry Shampoo, and are back in China before anyone is the wiser."

"Oh, that is just like them to play dirty," Ranma growled. "But we got 'em now! Shampoo's claim on me as her airen is sunk!"

"Not so fast, Saotome," Nabiki stopped the redhead. "The kiss of marriage has already been given, and it will be hard to argue that it's invalid after so long. Had you contested it right away, and Akane declared to be Ranma's betrothed, Shampoo would have had no choice but to withdraw."

"So this is all my fault," Akane said sadly. She remembered doing the exact opposite of staking her claim, although, at the time, she didn't consider it a claim at all. Although she did feel rather pissed off whenever Shampoo got close to Ranma, even back then. She also distinctly remembered pulling him away from Shampoo like a piece of property once she got her memory back.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Nabiki said.

"Well, how were we supposed to know?" Ranma asked, trying to make light of the memory.

"Right, it's best to worry about what you can do about it now," Nabiki agreed. "Your engagement to Akane is an arranged marriage. Akane's claim on you is by family, not her own, and they know that. According to Amazon tradition, cases like this allow for two honorable methods of selecting who wins the man."

"Oh geez," Ranma grumbled. "How many laws can one tribe have for marriage? So, what do we gotta do?"

"Well," Nabiki glanced over at Akane, "at any time, she can just challenge Shampoo to a fight, and win."

"No! No fighting!" Ranma waved her arms to refuse any argument. "Fighting has only ever gotten us into trouble with them. It's what started this whole mess in the first place!"

"Well, it's the easiest, most straight forward way, Saotome," Nabiki said matter-of-factly. "The Amazon laws on the right of challenge are pretty cut and dry. One challenge, one fight, winner take all, no rematches."

Ranma suddenly felt very uneasy at the idea of no rematches. "Wait," she said. "I don't mean to be a downer on all this, but Shampoo already challenged Akane, and she accepted, and... sorta lost."

Akane's face fell at Ranma's words. She couldn't really remember the fight Ranma was talking about, since that was when her memory had been taken away.

Nabiki just chuckled. "Ah, I thought you might bring that up," she said and flipped to a page to show some of her notes on the marriage laws. "All of that happened before Shampoo knew about your engagement. To her, it was just taking care of an obstacle. And besides, the Kiss of death isn't a challenge, it's a threat."

"I remember Akane very clearly mentioning the engagement in front of Shampoo," Ranma nearly growled. Akane couldn't help but feel a little ashamed at the memory they were bringing up. She had actually said it never happened.

"Well, all I can say is, either Shampoo misunderstood, or didn't know all of the rules herself," Nabiki said. "The law is pretty clear that Amazon's are not permitted to give the kiss of death to the fiancée of a contested male."

"For something that seemed so simple before, this sure is becoming complicated," Akane noted.

"Well, the Amazons take their property very seriously," Nabiki smiled at Akane and winked, causing the younger girl to blush.

"Could you at least _act_ like I'm here?" Ranma asked incredulously.

Nabiki chuckled again. This was just too much fun. "Now that it's all on the table, Akane is the one that actually has the right of declaring the challenge," she said. "That's probably one of the reasons Shampoo hasn't done anything about her kiss of death on you, Akane. Shampoo's going to compete with you until you force the issue. As a male, Ranma actually has no say in the matter."

"Are you saying the kiss of death might be voided?" she asked, hopeful.

"It's possible," Nabiki said. "I'll have to look into the finer points of that particular law."

"Well, okay... but still, no fighting," Ranma said. "If there's another way, I say we take it."

"You really should consider it," Nabiki said. "Besides, you're not going to like the other way."

"If it doesn't involve fighting, I highly doubt it," Ranma said confidently.

"Well, as I said, it's up to Akane to force the issue," Nabiki now gave Ranma a mischievous gaze. "If you so choose, she can always stake her claim and mate with you," she said cheekily.

"No way!" Akane yelled by reflex. She was huffing out her breaths and turning crimson. She suddenly turned on Ranma and punched her in the face, sending her flying into the wall. "You pervert!"

Ranma barely had time to blush at Nabiki's words when Akane sent her flying. After falling to the ground she just groaned in a daze. "Maybe I can train Akane for the fight," she said blankly.

Akane fought back her temper. "Well, we can worry about that later," she said hastily, not wanting to stay on the subject of marriage or either of the ways they can get Ranma out of his situation with Shampoo. "That leaves only two other possibilities for Shampoo's dishonor," she eyed the list.

Ranma rubbed her face and rejoined the others in the center of the room as they started to read the last two possibilities on the list.

"Refusal of an order from an elder, or..." Nabiki waited for them to read the last one.

"Losing a right of challenge to an elder..." Akane said, completely stupefied.

"No way..." Ranma's mouth remained agape in shock.

"I'm as surprised as you two, but it makes the most sense," Nabiki said. "I think Shampoo challenged Cologne over something, and lost. The elder decides on the punishment herself, but the standard is death."

"And Cologne wouldn't do that to her chosen heir," Akane guessed, "because it would take away the family honor of having an elder."

"Exactly," Nabiki said. "So the question is, what did she decide as Shampoo's punishment."

"I don't know, but it definitely is about her honor," Ranma said. "Cologne was pretty blunt that I should settle up before Shampoo works through her problem. She can't stake her claim right now."

"Well, we won't be able to figure it out, I'm afraid," Nabiki said. "There's a long list of things Amazon's can declare a right of challenge over, and none of them make sense for Shampoo to use on Cologne."

"And I take it we can't ask," Ranma said.

"Oh, you definitely don't want to do that," Nabiki held out her hand in a gesture to stop. "You do not want to interfere with Amazon matters of honor, remember?"

Ranma and Akane both gulped. That kiss of death clause seemed to be far reaching.

"So, all we can do is wait?" Ranma asked.

"It would seem that way," Nabiki said.

"Well, Cologne did say that reading the law book would only help us understand what was going on," Akane said. "And maybe find a peaceful solution to Shampoo's claim on Ranma."

"Which we did find," Nabiki was quick to point out with a smirk.

"But we have time to figure something else out!" Akane yelled over her sister.

"Plenty of time!" Ranma added.

Nabiki rolled her eyes. "If you say so," she said.

"What about that business with the tribe coming before honor?" Ranma asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Akane asked. "Shampoo's in line to become elder. She has a duty to her family and the tribe that's more important than her own honor."

"I get that, but how does stripping her of her honor help?" Ranma asked. "She can't be an elder unless she has honor when Cologne kicks the bucket."

Akane lightly slapped Ranma's shoulder at her bluntness. "Don't talk about it like that," she scolded her.

"That's why I think it was over a right of challenge," Nabiki said. "Cologne wouldn't kill her, but the punishment had to be severe. So, she has somehow stripped her of her honor until she meets whatever requirements she's placed. The law allows elders to be pretty wide open about their punishments."

"It makes sense," Akane agreed.

"Maybe we'll get lucky, and it'll take Shampoo 200 years to get the wisdom to become elder," Ranma joked.

"I doubt Cologne has that kind of time," Nabiki said.

"Maybe once Shampoo learns what it takes, she'll be too focused on her honor as elder to worry about Ranma," Akane said.

"Also unlikely," Nabiki said coolly. "Ranma is the first mortal to defeat a god in combat. There is no greater honor than marrying him. According to Amazon tradition, the stronger the man, the higher the status. Ranma would be legendary."

"Oh great," Ranma muttered, but still blushed at the praise.

"I'm sorry, Saotome," Nabiki said with a serious glint in her eye. "The book of Amazon law has made one thing clear to me. Action is their method for settling anything."

Ranma and Akane were both silent as they mulled over everything they'd learned. One choice made them both pale, while the other made them shake from their blushing. While the second choice was a lot easier, it was unsettling for them both. Neither of them even wanted to talk about doing such a thing yet, let alone for the sake of settling a marriage dispute.

"I guess we have a lot more to think about than we thought," Akane said.

"I'll keep looking for more," Nabiki said. "I'll let you know if I find anything else that can help you."

"Well... I guess that's that, then," Ranma said. "Thanks, Nabiki."

"It was my pleasure," Nabiki winked. She had given them a truck load of information in exchange for so little, but she was already calculating how she could extract more fun and money from what she'd learned.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Cologne watched as Shampoo carried orders to the many customers that filled their restaurant. She was moving much faster than before, and looking more alive since they'd talked. While still nowhere near her natural spritely self, she at least wasn't speaking to customers dispassionately anymore. That was good for business, as customers were inclined to tip better, and order dessert.

Cologne was glad that the talk had helped raise her great granddaughter's spirits. She'd figured Shampoo had had enough time to think over things on her own, and was ready to finally discuss it. While she was still obviously upset over things, she at least understood where she'd gone wrong with her actions.

In regards to going wrong, Cologne wondered if Ranma had gotten around to reading the book of Amazon law Shampoo had left in their possession. Given their lack of knowledge of their ways in the past, it was obvious they hadn't read the book at all after learning of the kiss of marriage. If they did read it now, they undoubtedly would discover that Shampoo's claim on Ranma has several escape routes they could take.

She felt guilty over potentially putting her heir in such a precarious situation, but there was more at stake than just the honor of her great granddaughter, or their family. The demon Ku made her feel very unsettled, even more so than when Herb and Saffron had come around. Certain details of him were vaguely familiar, but she had yet to find anything in the histories of her people. The fact that he was able to nearly kill Ranma though, was scary enough.

Also, if Ranma died, there was no chance of Shampoo obtaining that piece of honor anyways, so Cologne did what she had to. She didn't like the idea of Shampoo losing Ranma to Akane. He was the strongest man she'd ever seen, with even more potential to tap into. Shampoo would go into Amazon legend if she married the first mortal to slay a god. But, that was looking increasingly unlikely, given the circumstances they were now in. Shampoo knew that too.

Shampoo kept herself as busy as possible while the dinner rush continued. She took the orders, brought the food out, retrieved the dishes, and scrubbed the tables all by herself, leaving Mousse with only dish washing.

Usually, Shampoo would frown over taking on so much work, often insisting that Mousse do all of the cleaning. She was trying to keep herself from having too much time to think. The conversation she'd had with Cologne dominated her mind, but it excited her. She'd learned a lot about why Cologne had punished her the way she had, and how things were going to change for her. In time, she would be given back her power of law, and once again obtain honor.

Mousse noted the change in Shampoo's spirits, and so he put up no argument in the distribution of work. While it seemed like the perfect opportunity to be the gentleman, and offer to take on more of the burden, he just knew better, for once. Disturbing Shampoo could only provoke her, or damage the fragile happiness she'd managed to find for the moment.

Cologne set her mind at ease over Shampoo for the time being as she cooked orders. Everything surrounding the young girl was coming into place, and she was confident that Shampoo would pull through. That is not what troubled her now.

Somewhere, beyond her restaurant, a feeling of foreboding was itching at the back of her mind. That feeling came to chilling realizing when she reached for a new bottle of soy sauce, and it fell from the shelf to shatter on the ground.

"Aiya!" Shampoo cried from the opening leading to the restaurant from the kitchen. "Great grandmother need to be more careful."

Mousse did not say anything to the sudden disturbance, but watched his elder closely. Everything had been so strange the past few days, ever since Shampoo's sudden dishonor. He'd been quiet the whole time, observing everything, waiting for something to happen. Something told him that this was it.

Cologne said nothing as she looked at the shattered glass and spilled sauce. The black liquid pooled through the cracks on the tiles, forming the eerie shape of a gnashing fangs and slit like eyes. An omen, clearer than any she'd ever seen before.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** A lot more explaining going on in this chapter. I felt I'd left the Amazon law thing on the side, and should explain it to develop Shampoo a bit before moving to the next major event. Can't have her moping about, so to speak. She is a strong willed character, and I like her for that, even if she is totally crazy because of her upbringing.

That said, figuring out a believable frameset for Amazon law and tradition was an interesting exercise. I had to make things straight forward, and practical, nearly black and white. The shades of grey all came in when I touched on the marriage laws, which I look liberties with.

Specifically, I decided to make a point of arranged marriages, since that's how marriage was traditionally done in Chinese culture. I decided it was acceptable to make the Amazon's respectful of another family's honor, despite their aggressive nature, and allow them defense of their claim. Why Cologne doesn't say this is explained as them just being advantageous to ignorance, which happens often in legal matters. My set of rules surrounding that law have potential holes, but we're also talking about something that's 3000 years old.

And before anyone says anything, I am assuming Cologne knows Ryoga's secret based on what happens at the end of the breaking point story line. She sees Ranma and P-chan exit the river, and then is with Ranma when Ryoga departs before anyone else shows up (Anime).

**Richard Ryley:** I already touched a bit on what you said in my edit of chapter 16, but just to reiterate, my assumptions on Nodoka and Genma's youth is a matter of theory and interpretation of their personalities. It in no way implies that Genma is the same at the present time of this story, and I had to find some way to make it plausible they got together.

**Anonymous:** Oh, nice to know I've managed to make Ryoga annoying to a Ryoga sympathizer, haha. I'll be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of him. It's funny though, if things were twisted in just the right way, Ryoga could be the hopeless romantic that is commonly the "hero" of romantic pieces of media while Ranma would be the asshole jock "villain". I do think he is somewhat of the hopeless romantic of the cast, but his major faults are that he succumbs to his emotions too easily, and suffers from acute tunnel vision. He also absolutely refuses to take responsibility for a lot of his behavior, and blames it on Ranma. Those faults are what make him so dislikable, in my mind. That, and his using his curse to get into bed with Akane. There is no innocence in that.

**Compucles:** Yeah, I see that now that I've reread and watched the early parts to be sure. He never directly gives his word on his honor, but does declare that he won't tell anyone, which, to my knowledge, he doesn't after perhaps the first few attempts. Also, for whatever reason, Ryoga seems to know/believe Ranma won't tell anyone either, or is deluded enough to think he's just safe. He is definitely confident in his secret as long as Akane doesn't see the transformation happen.

**AliceTheBookGirl:** Yes, I do make him more delusional, because as I said in a past notes section, I've always felt he's a bit schizophrenic when he's in his cursed form. There are distinct personality changes, which are never explained. It may stem from being small, it may stem from the knowledge that girls find him adorable, it may be that he thinks he can just get away with stuff around Akane, and he does. My approach with his pig form is that he's more open with his words because he knows no one can understand him. It's a matter of confidence that is common for people to feel when they don't perceive immediate consequences. It's like how people may only sing in the shower. They feel the freedom of anonymity.

As for Ranma's other fiancées, this chapter clues you in that Shampoo's confrontation will be a ways off, but has potential solutions. The matter of Ukyo is one that I have not been able to figure out yet, and the issue of honor is a tough one. It's not going to be all sugar and rainbows, that's for sure.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	18. Force

Akane grunted out loud as she warmed up in the dojo alone. She had lot on her mind, and wanted to clear some of it out before Ranma showed up for their evening training session.

Things only seemed to get more complicated whenever they learned more about everything. They thought that learning what was in the book of Amazon law would make things simpler. It did not. Sure, they knew what they could do, but all of their options were so extreme, they were uncomfortable just thinking about them.

Then, there was the issue of their new agreement. To put it mildly, the discussion of P-chan and Ranma's fiancées was an emotional disaster for Akane. She'd never felt so vulnerable as she had then. Never had she ever let anyone know how she felt about the other girls in Ranma's life, but she'd let it all out at once in front of him. Her private pain was no longer a secret, and that made it all the more dominant in her mind. No longer could she just stuff it down by clobbering Ranma. If she did, he would know why, and that just didn't seem to make sense to her anymore.

The bright side was that Ranma had been understanding, in his own way. Akane now had the reassurance that she was the one Ranma wanted to be with, and it made her feel a lot better. Still, she would have liked for Ranma to butter her up a bit with some ego boosts. At no point did Ranma say she was better than the other girls in any way, which kept her insecurities just under the surface. Being the one should have been enough, but Akane was a girl, just like any other girl, and wanted sweet nothings once in a while.

Akane took a deep breath and forced those thoughts away as she changed gears. Instead of her usual warm up, she decided to practice the kata Ranma had shown her from his school of martial arts. The flowing combination was so different than her father's rigid quick strike combos. Akane was grateful for Ranma showing her this simple lesson from the Saotome school. It was easy to get lost in the flow of the movements, and let them carry her body naturally through each step.

Akane continued this kata around the dojo, focusing on how each move flowed from one to the next. Her body danced freely, but not without power behind every movement. She even noted how her breathing aided in the flow, and how even without utilizing her chi, it seemed like flowing water.

As time passed, Akane fell into a deeper trance as she repeated the kata almost effortlessly. By the time Ranma showed up, Akane's mind was mostly free of the thoughts that troubled her.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter XVIII: Force**

* * *

Ranma watched Akane from the open door of the dojo after arriving for their evening session. She was pleased to see her practicing the Saotome school's kata so seriously, and that she was becoming more graceful as she did.

After finishing the kata one last time, Akane returned to her standing posture and exhaled as she loosened. She looked over to where Ranma was standing and nodded. "I'm ready when you are," she said.

"We need to talk first," Ranma said.

"What for?" Akane asked.

"Do you remember what you did when you attacked me earlier?" Ranma asked as she walked towards her.

Akane took a second to recall, but the details were fuzzy, as the usually were when she lost her temper. "I can't really remember too well," she admitted.

"That's what worries me," Ranma said as she stood in front of Akane. "You were using your aura to throw your chi like we did before, but you were out of control."

"Oh," Akane blushed from her embarrassment.

"It's not that it was all bad," Ranma said. "You showed a lot of power, but you have to learn to control yourself. Using your chi like that is why I passed out the first time I trained with the old letch."

"Oh, so that's why I ate so much at dinner," Akane laughed nervously.

"Yup," Ranma nodded. She'd also eaten quite a bit over dinner to make sure she was at full capacity for their session. "What happened earlier made me realize what Happosai meant when he said emotions are dangerous when used to fuel chi attacks. They can be very powerful, but can also leave us drained. They can also be out of control."

"I think I understand," Akane said. She remembered many times when Ryoga or Ranma had overextended themselves using their emotion fueled chi blasts. She also was frightened by Ryoga's destructive nature whenever he used his at its full potential. It was one of the few attacks she dreaded him using on Ranma.

"So, we're gonna work on using your aura while in balance, because it'll help you get a better feel for controlling how much power you put out. Once you learn that, I'll show you how to use it for defense."

"Sounds good," Akane said, feeling her excitement building.

Ranma stepped back and lowered into a ready stance. She released her aura into a faint blue light while Akane did the same.

Akane paid extra attention to her calm resolve as she found her center and released her battle aura. She looked at Ranma through focused eyes, noting the feeling of her chi flowing in the otherwise empty dojo.

"Your chi is an extension as your aura," Ranma said. "It will reach for you, as you command it. Feel it as you move to strike, and use it wisely."

Akane made a few practice motions, feeling her chi move through her body. The energy passed through her muscles like warm waves, and she felt like she could throw them out with a simple push or release. When she was satisfied that she understood enough to try it for real, she reassumed her ready stance.

Ranma smirked as Akane gave her signal that she was ready. She waved her in with her hand. "Come and get me," she dared her.

Akane wasted no time, and launched her attack. Ranma dodged with ease, but didn't let her guard down the slightest. She was on full alert the entire time as Akane rushed her with focused waves of chi. Together, they danced around the dojo in a spectacular display of blue light.

Ranma leapt back as Akane sent a particularly large wave of chi slicing through the air. They'd been sparring in this manner for nearly ten minutes, allowing Akane to practice her full spectrum of chi extensions. They ranged from wildly large, to hush whispers in the air, but mostly leaned towards the more powerful side.

None of this surprised Ranma as she danced around the attacks. Akane was powerful by nature, evident in her strength and temper. They combined in her tendencies to be generous with her chi attacks. Ranma took note of this, and concluded that in a fight, Akane probably wouldn't last too long if she decided to use her aura in this way. On the flip side though, anyone hit by her attacks would be in for a world of pain.

Something else caught Ranma's attention as Akane continued her offensive. While she remained mostly in calm balance during this session, her chi was still behaving like it had earlier that day. The blue waves of energy had a fiery nature to them, bursting outwards more wildly than her own, or Happosai's. This interested Ranma, as it was something very unique about Akane.

Akane took no notice of how her chi behaved as she threw it from her hands and feet. She only focused on how it moved through her body, and how much it drew from her. It was a strange sensation to wield so much power, yet to feel so drained so quickly. It was completely different from a normal work out that warmed up her muscles slowly and gradually built up to a peak.

What she did notice, however, was how easily Ranma was able to avoid her attacks. Rarely did Ranma block her aura with her own, and only when she used a particularly large amount of chi. Seeing her performing her usual dodging routine brought back some of her bitter memories of how Ranma never really took her seriously.

She became more determined to hit Ranma at that point, attacking more quickly with less powerful blasts from her aura. Ranma still managed to dodge everything though, and lead her around the dojo.

Akane followed her relentlessly, focusing entirely on the attack. She no longer felt the flow of chi around her, or even within her as she chased Ranma. That proved to be her downfall, as Ranma spun around a blast from her aura, caught it with her own, and then redirected it back at her.

So unexpected was Ranma's reversal that Akane was completely unguarded, and took the blast of energy in the chest. She flew back and hit the wooden floor roughly, but wasn't hurt.

"Not bad," Ranma said from where she was standing.

"Not bad?" Akane groaned. "I didn't even touch you once."

"That's because you haven't learned how to properly use this form of fighting," Ranma said as she offered her hand to Akane.

Akane allowed Ranma to help her up. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I remember when Happosai first taught me how to use it for offense," Ranma explained as she rubbed her chin. "I was amazed at how powerful I felt, but not once did I hit the old goat. Then, he trained me in defense, and I began to understand how he was able to dodge me easily."

"And how was he able to?"

"Chi is constantly flowing, no matter if you're attacking or not. As martial artists, we've already trained a slight sixth sense to detect opponents, but when you learn to really sense their chi, it becomes so much more.

"Using a battle aura defensively relies on feeling your opponent's chi as it moves through their body. It lets you predict their attacks faster, and dodge more easily."

"Oh, so you can actually feel an attack coming before its thrown?" Akane asked.

"Not exactly," Ranma said. "It depends how your opponent is using their chi. You'll only really learn how to react through experience with feeling how chi moves in different ways, but one advantage that's always there is the ability to sense where your opponent is at all times.

"That's why balance is important when using auras this way, because the entire fight itself is a balance of offense and defense, to conserve your energy until you find openings."

"And you figured all of this out in just four days?" Akane asked, amazed. She didn't think she'd be able to figure that out in a month.

"Three," Ranma corrected her. "After the first day, I realized how much of a drain using my battle aura for combat like this is. The second taught me how to control its output, and the third introduced me to sensing it for defense, which made me realize about the balance."

Akane was impressed, and then suddenly looked at Ranma a little judgingly. "You know, if you focused on your studies like this, you'd probably be the top of our class," she said.

Ranma scoffed. "Math and science aren't going to get me out of this situation," she said.

"That may be true, but it certainly couldn't hurt to devote just a little of this focus next year," Akane said.

"Whatever, can we just get back to the matter at hand," Ranma threw her hands up. She wondered why Akane was randomly pestering her about her focus in school.

"Okay, but you do still have those finals to make up," Akane said. "And to be honest, I'd like it if you weren't busy all summer with cram school," she added with the faintest blush.

Ranma processed what Akane said, and then what she may have meant, and felt her own blush coming on. She shook her head to empty it of those thoughts and refocused. "We can worry about that later. For now, it's time to focus on your training," she said.

Akane nodded and reassumed her stance. "So what am I doing now?" she asked.

Ranma got into her own loose stance and let her aura surround her. "I want you to close your eyes and focus on my presence," she said.

Akane nodded and closed her eyes. She focused her barely trained sixth sense on the faint glow of Ranma's chi in the darkness. Just barely, she could feel its warmth.

Ranma began to move slowly around Akane, using long, exaggerated strides to move her chi more vividly. As she circled around Akane she would move her arms in feint attacks to elicit responses from her senses. Each time she noted how Akane reacted, seeing if she was picking on the subtle shifts in her otherwise harmless movements.

Akane sensed Ranma moving around her. She noted how her chi flowed as it changed shape with Ranma's movement. It was smooth and steady. Every so often, a random change would occur, almost like the sudden snap of an attack, which made her flinch. Each time she reacted, she could almost sense the amusement in Ranma.

Ranma moved closer after coming full circle, nearly grazing Akane in her slow martial dance. Akane tensed at the closeness Ranma passed her with, but did not move or open her eyes. This satisfied Ranma, and she returned to her standard stance in front of Akane. "Are you ready?" she asked.

Akane kept her eyes closed and took a few controlled breaths. She could see Ranma's chi more clearly now in her mind's eye, and nodded. "I'm ready," she said.

"Alright, open your eyes," Ranma said and put more energy into her aura. "I want you to concentrate on dodging everything. Only block when you have to."

Akane sensed Ranma's chi growing as her aura became brighter and opened her eyes to see the intense blue light surrounding her.

"Here I come!" Ranma shouted.

Akane braced herself as Ranma charged. While she saw the girl running at her, she had actually felt the push of the chi first, and noted how it seemed to move a split second before Ranma's body.

Ranma came at Akane with a combination of punches and kicks, but in no way used her aura to attack. Akane moved to avoid the chi she felt as well as the limbs she saw moving. She barely got out without being hit. It was a bit disorienting at first to have this new sense to focus on.

Ranma saw and felt Akane's delayed reactions, but did not slow in her attacks. She knew it would take Akane time to adjust, probably longer than it took her, but the only way was to really press her. She was still against hitting girls though, and definitely hurting Akane, so she wasn't trying to hit her for real. Her attacks were wide, and varied in speed and reach, manipulating her reactions, rather than trying to actually hit her.

Akane did her best to dodge Ranma's attacks. She could tell that Ranma was only pushing her around, but for once, it didn't bug her. Ranma's wide range of attacks showed Akane just how subtle the chi could be in the hands of a skilled martial artist, and it forced her to really focus to keep up her defenses. There were times she still had to block, even though Ranma wasn't aiming for her, that's how far she had to go in her training.

Their strange exercise continued for quite some time as Ranma gave no chance for a break. Akane was slowly getting better as she was blocking less and less. Her body was now in motion more often than not, anticipating Ranma's attacks from the sides and behind more readily.

Finally, after what felt like half an hour, Ranma halted her attacks after landing a few feet away from Akane. "You're starting to get the hang of this," she said.

Akane kept her guard up and panted for breath. She'd never really worked out like this before. At first, she'd been so tense trying to focus on dodging, which had been hell on her muscles early on. She was just finally getting looser when Ranma caused this pause, and now she was realizing just how hard she'd been working out.

Ranma suddenly grinned. "Now for the real thing!" she shouted. Without warning, her aura flared, and she launched a blast of chi from her palm right at Akane's chest.

Akane's eyes went wide at the sudden attack and she leapt more from panic than conscious control. She was gasping for air and clasping her chest with her hand after the attack whipped past her. "What the hell?" she asked.

"Play times over, Akane!" Ranma shouted back and didn't lose a beat. She charged Akane with new found vigor, and unleashed her aura on the still shocked girl.

_Oh my god!_ Akane's mind screamed as she fled from Ranma's attacks. Forget feeling for her chi now. Anyone could sense these things coming.

Akane barely avoided Ranma's aura as it launched waves of chi in her direction. She was constantly off balance as she jumped away from one attack and then another, only to have to duck under a third before jumping again. "Have you lost your mind!" she yelled after the barrage.

"My mind's just fine, Akane," Ranma said calmly, and reassumed her attack.

Akane felt her nerves sparking in alarm at Ranma's attacks. Ranma's chi was powerful, and deadly precise in how it moved and struck at her. Every snap of her aura was like a finely honed blade that sliced through the air. It demanded constant rapid motion to even dream of avoiding them all, and yet, Akane was still sure that Ranma wasn't quite aiming for her.

Ranma chased Akane around the dojo at a frantic pace, lashing out with small, rapid strikes of her aura. Akane's chi had become erratic the second she started this assault, completely out of balance. She was relying on instinct more than her senses, and would probably never stand a chance if this was a real fight. She was too undisciplined.

"You need to stop running away!" Ranma shouted as she pressured Akane with more attacks.

Akane grunted as she leapt over Ranma's aura strikes. "And how am I supposed to do anything else?" she asked between wild dodges.

"Create an opening," Ranma said. "Use what you've learned. If you can't focus, create enough distance to earn a second to get it."

Akane growled. _Easy for him to say_, she thought as she rolled under a pair of spin kicks. She had no idea how to get any distance between her an Ranma. Ranma was already faster and more agile when he was a guy, let alone in his cursed girl form. Even when pulling her punches, the speed of her attacks was ridiculous.

She tried to remember the many fights she'd seen Ranma in, and how he'd earn such a moment's rest. Ranma was very good at that. It was one of the many tricks that made him so resourceful in battle. This wasn't a fight though. This was a training exercise, and Ranma was completely focused on making it hard for her to get her bearings.

Akane remembered what Ranma had said as she just barely managed to keep out of harm's way. Battling with auras was a balance of offense and defense. At that thought, something dawned on her. This wasn't a defensive exercise anymore. This was the real thing, as Ranma had put it. Akane wanted to slap herself for being so stupid.

Refocused on what to do, Akane rolled backwards, earning enough distance to take in a deep breath. In an instant, she found her center and felt her aura swell. Now exhaling that breath, she launched an attack at Ranma that collided with the other girl's waves of chi.

Ranma felt the counterattack and jumped back as the waves of chi collided against each other. She wore a satisfied smirk as the air settled. Akane was finally getting it. "Bout time you figured it out," she said.

"Oh, was I supposed to do that?" Akane asked sarcastically. "I was just trying to wipe that grin off your face!"

Ranma suddenly laughed and stretched her mouth with her fingers before sticking out her tongue. "What, this grin?" she taunted.

Akane felt her temper rise, but fought it down. If Ranma wanted to make a game of it, that was fine with her. "You're just going to make it that much better when I get my hands on you," she declared. Her aura shined brighter and she went on the offensive.

Ranma kept taunting Akane with the same face as they danced around the dojo. She was actually quite impressed.

Despite her history of losing it to this kind of teasing, Akane actually managed to remain in control the entire time. Her strikes were exact, and weak, drawing little from her chi reserves. She was understanding the importance of waiting for an opening now.

Ranma decided it was time to be serious. As long as Akane kept control, it was her job to switch it up, and push her to adapt to new sensations. Without another thought, Ranma went limp into the umi-sen ken, and vanished.

Akane halted at Ranma's sudden disappearance. She immediately knew what the girl was doing, and searched for her chi. Ranma would appear any second, and she needed to be ready to dodge.

_Very good, Akane, _Ranma thought to herself as she sneaked around the girl. She could feel Akane probing the area for her, but knew that the umi-sen ken would keep her safe. _Time to see how fast you really are._

Akane felt Ranma suddenly appear behind her. She had no time to look, only to react. She noted how the chi moved in her mind's eye, lancing out like a kick, and ducked. She felt Ranma's aura sail over her and twisted on her palm into a spin kick to counter.

Ranma saw Akane's counter and launched into the air off of the foot that was still on the ground. As she began to descend, she spin into a flip kick, and sent a wave of chi spiraling down with her.

Akane felt the chi crashing down towards her. It was so obvious in her balanced state, and she barely had to think as her body flipped back to escape harm.

"You're faster than I give you credit for," Ranma smirked. "Maybe when this is all over, I'll spar with you as a guy."

Akane perked up. "Really?"

Ranma was on Akane in an instant and tapped her forehead with her index finger. The mock attack took her by surprise, and she fell backwards. "On second thought. Maybe you're not ready after all," she chuckled.

Akane growled. "That was a dirty trick!" she complained.

"But it worked, when it shouldn't have," Ranma said pointedly.

Akane grumbled. Ranma was right, of course. She shouldn't have let herself get so easily distracted by something so small.

Ranma was still chuckling when she offered a hand to Akane. Her training was going well. These chi and aura exercises would help her a lot with the rest of her martial arts.

Ranma felt at peace as she pulled Akane up. She actually managed to forget about all of the bad things that were happening around them while they trained like this.

Akane gently tugged against Ranma's hand as she was pulled up and stepped forward to get her bearings. She was just starting to stand on her own strength when the board under her foot cracked in half, and she tripped through it.

Ranma nearly choked on her breath as Akane fell. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and the world around them became cold. It was an omen.

Ranma immediately reached out as far as her trained senses could go. In the warmth of the late spring day, there it was. Ku's icy presence was falling towards them, and this time, he wasn't coming to watch.

"Look out!" Ranma cried. She rolled over Akane, taking her into her arms as she did so, and jumped away from the cracked board.

A second later, the roof caved in, and Ku came crashing down to the ground surrounded by his black, smoky chi. His chi radiated more than it did in the past, and the faint green glow of his aura was already present. As he stood, his eyes were also glowing.

Ku took in his surroundings, sensing the two vibrant pools of chi in the room with him. He'd searched the whole city relentlessly since last feeling Ranma's presence, but found nothing. His frustrations had peaked during that search, and now he'd come to force him out. He knew the red headed girl would not do. The blue haired one, however.

"Oh no," Akane said.

"Akane, get out of here," Ranma said.

"But-"

"Please, go," Ranma insisted. Her tone didn't want any argument.

Akane heard the tone of Ranma voice and saw the look in her eyes. She meant to fight him here, and now. "Ranma..." she pleaded. She didn't want this to happen now. Ranma still had so much to learn before he was ready.

"I'm gonna need some water," she said.

Akane realized to argue was futile. She nodded, and turned for the door.

Ku saw the girl with blue hair attempting to leave. He would have none of that, and pulled his sword from his back. Without so much as a sound, he fired a flurry of green blades of chi past Akane, and turned the doorway into a large pile of broken boards.

"Akane!" Ranma shouted.

"Akane," Ku said slowly, as if he was examining the sound of the name. "I've come for you."

"W-what?" Akane asked nervously.

"Ranma wouldn't come to the defense of the red haired one," he said grimly. "I wonder if your screams will bring him out?"

Ku's voice became inhuman as he spoke his last words. A feral growl was beneath each word. He ignored Ranma, and attacked Akane, sending green waves at her with his sword, slicing the ground around her. He was torturing her.

"Hey! Your fight's right here!" Ranma shouted, fist raised. She didn't like the way Ku had spoken to Akane, or the feeling she was getting from him. Something about it was different than before. It was more volatile, as if he was slipping out of control.

Ku ignored Ranma and continued to advance on Akane. Akane was stricken with fear, and didn't know what to do. Ranma saw this, and took the offensive. She sprang at Ku, and prepared to strike, but something completely unexpected happened.

Ku's black chi reached out like a giant plume of smoke, and caught Ranma in the air. The icy chi felt like a mighty waterfall was crushing her as it slammed her into the ground. She could hear it growling at her like a wild animal and then retreat back to its human body.

"Ranma!" Akane cried.

"Just run, Akane!" Ranma shouted. "Keep away from him!"

Ku looked over at the red haired girl curiously. The one known as Akane had called her Ranma. He suddenly remembered something, some kind of way for people to transform, but it'd been over a century since he'd seen it, and no longer quite remembered what it was. If they were the same person though, why not just reveal himself? Ku decided it didn't matter. He'd find out soon enough as he choked the life out of Akane.

Akane didn't need convincing as she felt Ku's malice bearing down on her. She rolled sideways to dodge his green chi blades. They sliced the dojo apart, making it all too clear what would happen if one of them hit her.

Ranma tried to get Ku's attention as best she could. She attacked with her aura nearly at full strength, but the black chi repelled her again. She was harmlessly batted away like she didn't matter while Akane was put in grave danger.

"Damn it," Ranma hissed. This was going nowhere fast. She collided into the ground hard, and became pinned by the black smoke.

Akane watched helplessly as the black smoke whipped Ranma away as if she were an insect and then pinned her to the ground. The ninja was nearly upon her now, and the black smoke's reach extended around her like a cocoon of ice.

"Scream for him," the smoke growled.

Akane stared into the black smoke as it pierced into her soul. She could feel its icy breath covering her, suffocating her. She didn't want to give in. She didn't want to give it the satisfaction, but it knew her too well. In the depths of her heart laid that instinct to cry for him. She fought against it. No matter how much she wanted to, she knew she shouldn't.

The smoke sensed the girl struggling against her fear. It leered in close, taking in the scent of her despair. "Scream!" the smoke yelled.

Akane sobbed against the pain in her chest. Keeping it inside was like denying the truth. Her heart knew she could always depend on him to save her, and that feeling betrayed her at that very moment. "Ranma!" she screamed.

Ranma was up in an instant in an explosion of blue light that blew back the smoke that had been pinning her. She was reacting to Akane calling for her, feeling the voice gripping her soul. Her aura blazed brightly around her body while her eyes were aflame in determination. She charged forward and formed her aura into a tight ball around her. She torpedoed through the black smoke and lifted Akane in her arms. "I got ya," she said.

Akane held onto Ranma tightly. She felt so safe in Ranma's arms, even when she was girl. Even the dread of what was happening seemed to be blocked out by the embrace.

Ranma focused her chi as she glided backwards over the opening in the dojo roof. She felt it swelling in her chest, burning hot, and more vibrant than before. She didn't care that it felt new, she just needed its power now. She channeled it through her free arm and to its palm as a bright ball of golden light.

For a second, it hung there, so perfect and innocent. Something that was entirely new, yet immediately recognizable to Ranma. She looked at that ball of golden light as it shined before the blackness of Ku's chi, and knew what power was in her hand. She named it.

"Ai no ketsugō!" she shouted.

The golden ball expanded into a more massive force that blasted through the black smoke. The smoke howled in pain from the attack, and Ku lurched backwards, as if stunned. As Ranma finished her leap out of the dojo, she saw the smoke collapsing backwards.

This gave Ranma enough time to let Akane down after they landed. "You need to get out of here," she said.

"But, Ranma," Akane complained and held onto her arm.

"I need you to run, so he can't catch you," she explained. "Go to the soccer field at school. I'll get some hot water and meet you there."

"Why not just change here?" Akane asked. She didn't want to leave him. Every instinct and emotion was telling her to hold on desperately, and she answered them by clinging to Ranma's arm like her life depended on it.

Ranma looked at the destroyed dojo and sighed. "We can't fight it here, and put the others in danger," she said. "There's no more hiding now. I want Ku to know exactly who I am."

Akane let go of Ranma slowly. Her legs felt like lead as she backed away.

"Go, Akane," Ranma said.

"I-" Akane tried to speak.

"You'd best listen to him," Happosai said as he suddenly hopped from the roof of the house. "It wants Ranma, but we all have to play our part to win."

Akane looked at the grand master of their school and then back at Ranma. They were both deadly serious, and it scared her, but gave her the resolve to move. "I'm going" she said.

When Akane turned to run, Ranma looked down to her master. "Master, Happosai," she said.

Happosai did not look at Ranma, keeping his gaze on the dojo as the black smoke crept through the rubble. He nodded in acknowledgement of his student, his heir. "Ranma, I hope you had time to meditate on your last lesson," he said.

"I... think I may have an idea about that," she said.

"Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that, if we can help it," Happosai said. He let his aura free as the smoke now moved more smoothly, and the ninja appeared from the destroyed dojo. "You won't be using that technique for long, no matter how powerful you are. Don't try to use it, unless you absolutely have to."

"Okay," Ranma said, and ran into the house.

Happosai grinned as the ninja stepped before him. Ku looked down on him with little concern while the black smoke seemed to direct its attention to where Akane had escaped.

"I'm not going to make this easy on you," Happosai said.

"It doesn't matter," Ku said. "Nothing can save the girl. Unless Ranma reveals himself, she will die screaming for him."

"You're an awfully sadistic one," Happosai snorted. "But as long as we're clear that the gloves are coming off..."

Happosai dug deep into his center, preparing to use techniques he'd reserved for only the most serious battles. He produced a serpent of blue light from his aura, and attacked.

Ku merely laughed at the display of power. His black chi wrapped around him and absorbed the blue serpent's charge.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ranma arrived to the kitchen, desperately hoping that there was some hot water. She ignored Kasumi's pleasantries, and stared at the empty stove. "Of course not," she growled. It seemed fate was intent on being cruel. Whenever she needed water, be it hot, or cold, it just wasn't there for her.

"Ranma, what's the matter?" Kasumi asked.

Ranma did not answer. She still didn't even realize anyone was in the kitchen with her. She pulled out a kettle and filled it with water before tossing it onto the stove. She watched the kettle impatiently, feeling like each passing second was an eternity.

"Ranma?" Kasumi asked again. She wondered why Ranma needed hot water. She'd had heard the sounds from the dojo get particularly loud, and seeing this was giving her a sense of dread.

Ranma blinked and looked over to see Kasumi's worried face. She wondered how long she'd been there, but at seeing her, she realized that there was no sense in hiding anything. "You'd better get our fathers," she said.

Kasumi gasped at the tone Ranma spoke with. The heavy feeling of dread was mirrored by her voice. She understood what was happening now, and simply nodded before leaving to the family room.

In the family room, she found her father playing shogi with Genma. She wasn't surprised to see them so oblivious to matters, since the Dojo was furthest away from the family room. They probably didn't think anything was strange about the noises coming from there, just like she hadn't.

"Father, Mr. Saotome," she called to them, trying to keep her voice steady.

The two men looked over to her, both wearing nervous looks. They'd heard the faint quake in her voice, which was very rare in the oldest Tendo daughter.

Kasumi knew she'd been unable to hide her own worry when she saw the way they looked at her. She no longer struggled to keep her composure when she blurted out, "Ranma needs the two of you."

At that moment, Happosai crashed into the wall by the koi pond, letting the two men know exactly what Kasumi meant. They said nothing as they stood, because no words mattered now. Just as they feared, Ku was done waiting.

Happosai grunted as he slowly got to his feet. He looked over to his two pupils, and then up on the roof. There was no trace of Ku, but Happosai knew better than to trust his eyes. A quick dip into his sixth sense caught the trail of the demon already moving away from the house. "The school," he said.

"Master?" the two men said in unison.

"The school!" he repeated louder. "Ranma and Akane's school. Akane's gone there, and Ku's after her!"

"What? He's after my Akane?" Soun shouted. "Where's Ranma?" he demanded angrily.

"Ku's completely ignoring me," Ranma hissed from the doorway between the kitchen and the family room. "He thinks attacking Akane will get my male side to come out, and he's right."

"Ranma," Genma couldn't find the words. He knew Ranma would fight, no matter what. He was proud of his son, for being a man, but he was like any other father. He didn't like seeing his son facing death.

"Why won't this damn water boil!" Ranma cursed from the kitchen.

The two older men remained stunned by everything that was happening, until Happosai whacked them both on the head. "Would you two get with it!" he yelled. "To the school!"

Soun and Genma both took a step back at the tone their master spoke with. As rare as it was to see Kasumi so shaken, it was even rarer to see their master so deadly serious. The display was enough to bring them back to reality, and they immediately straightened.

"Let's go, Tendo," Genma said with his hands balled into fists.

"Yes, lets," Soun said. "We'll give you the time you need, Ranma."

Together, the three men left over the wall bordering the property. They went towards Furinkan High at a full blown run, not caring about the protest in their bodies. As they ran through the streets, there was no sign of Akane, or the demon, which only urged them to run faster. When they finally arrived to the school grounds, the vacant area gave them the chills.

"Where could she be?" Soun asked, clearly becoming desperate to see his daughter.

The sounds of combat answered Soun's question. Somewhere, behind the main building, a battle was raging. The three men wasted no time in getting to the other side, and they were unprepared for what they saw.

Akane was at the edge of the soccer field with Shampoo and Mousse standing beside her. The three were watching as Cologne did battle with the ninja, clashing in aerial combat.

Cologne did not speak as she dodged, attacked, blocked, and countered. The old Amazon elder used her mastery of her tribe's ancient techniques to defy the demon Ku as best she could. She knew she couldn't win. Every physical attack was harmless, as the black smoke would simply absorb it for the ninja. Every chi attack was thwarted by his green aura with ease, as if the power of Ku could simply dominate them outright.

These revelations were troubling to Cologne as she continued to fight with the ancient demon. She had known of many powerful beings from legend, but never witnessed any, except for Herb's display of the Musk dynasty's Dragon king lineage. From her understanding though, Saffron possessed the power to charge through energy based attacks, and it took Ranma's cleverness to thwart him. From the few minutes she'd spent fighting Ku, however, she did not see cleverness winning this one.

Cologne's centuries of experience had produced a very sharp and wise mind. All of that experience could see no weaknesses or holes in this demon's defenses. Worse yet, she could sense that it was toying with her, allowing the battle to stretch on, as if it pleasured it in some way.

Ku grinned as he traded attacks with the old woman. It was good to be fighting an Amazon of such experience again. They always provided such strong hearts to break. He could saw the look in her eyes. She was defiant, as an Amazon was, but there was that faint glint of despair in those eyes. He saw it growing, and felt it empower him.

Cologne sensed something growing within the demon as they continued to fight. It's power seemed to gain as hers slowly wore down. This sensation distracted her, and she was suddenly caught off guard, and struck to the ground.

"Aiya! Great grandmother!" Shampoo cried. The purple haired Amazon ran to the old woman and held her as she groaned.

"I'm okay, dear," she said. "I was just careless."

"Shampoo fight!" Shampoo declared. She stood with her weapons ready.

"No!" Cologne shouted.

Shampoo looked down at her elder. "But, great grandmother!"

"You don't stand a chance against it," Cologne said. "Don't be foolish with your life."

By then, Soun, Genma, and Happosai had joined with the others. Ku stood opposite to the group with his arms crossed. He was looking at them with an amused glint in his eyes. "All this, for one man," he said, nearly chuckling.

"Ice man not know what he talking about!" Shampoo shouted back.

"Oh? So you are not here for Ranma?" he asked.

Shampoo flinched. She didn't know why she was here, except that her great grandmother had dragged her here. Her state of affairs meant she couldn't be here fighting for Ranma, and he hadn't been on her mind when she said she'd fight the demon.

"Not that it really matters," Ku said.

Shampoo struggled with the thoughts swirling in her head. When it came down to it, she really didn't have a reason to fight the demon, except that it was a danger. Amazons dealt with danger lethally, to keep peace and safety. Cologne, however, had been right when she said she didn't stand a chance, and Amazons didn't throw away their lives in pointless battles. So why was she still standing so defiantly?

Ku sensed the turmoil in the girl and grinned to himself. Of all the people there, she seemed to be the most conflicted. Her twisted emotions would make in a real pleasure to break her.

Shampoo looked back at Akane, the reason the demon was here. She saw the girl that stood between her and honor in marrying Ranma. The girl that had somehow been a part of her current disgrace. Despite all this, she felt nothing when she looked at her.

She couldn't blame anyone else for her situation. It was her own choices that directly lead to her problems. Ignorance of law, thoughtless provocation, and selfishness. Like those times, she had a choice to make. Her instincts cried for her to fight, and she now realized why. There was a point in fighting this battle. It was the right thing to do.

"Shampoo won't be foolish with life," she said, and turned back to look at Ku.

"Well, at least one of you is smart," Ku laughed, although he was a little disappointed there was one less to play with.

Shampoo got into a ready stance. "Shampoo fight you, because it right!" she shouted.

The others joined her in preparing to fight. Cologne smiled at Shampoo's decision. The girl was finally getting it. Going in rashly was foolish, but to fight for a reason, was honorable.

Akane tried to join them, but Genma pushed her back behind him and Soun. "You should stand back, Akane," he said.

"I can't let everyone fight for me without helping," she said.

"No, you must remain safe," Soun said.

"I'm not helpless!" Akane shouted. "Ranma's been training me!"

"That may be, but your father is right," Genma said. "This isn't about you. This is about Ranma. We're all fighting for different reasons, but we all know what it's going to take to make Ku stop. Akane, harm coming to you will only make things worse for Ranma."

Akane could find nothing to say in the face of Genma's wisdom. She'd never seen the man so serious, and being right. She nodded, and took a step back.

Ku saw the group of fighters standing between him and the girl he was after. They were all good fighters, but couldn't match him, even together. He unleashed his pool of black chi, and let it spread around him while channeling his green battle aura.

Everyone braced themselves as Ku summoned his eerie sources of energy. To those untrained in detecting chi properly, it was a scary display of supernatural power. To those who were trained, it was an icy, massive expanse of twisted, sickening power.

Everyone charged at once, auras flaring brightly. Happosai was the first to reach Ku, carried by his blue serpent. The serpent clashed with Ku's chi, tangling with the black smoke. Happosai hopped off his serpent and drew it back into himself. He was joined by Genma and Soun in the air, making a classic anything goes school aerial strike together.

Ku was in no mood for games this time. He leapt at the three attackers and caught the large one with a chi blast to his stomach. He then kicked Soun in the stomach, and then flipped into another kick that launched him off of Soun and over Happosai. As Soun fell to the ground, Ku twirled around and focused on the much harder to hit Happosai. He drew his sword and sent several waves of green aura slashing at the master.

Happosai dodged the waves of energy, leading him in a wild chase as the others attacked from behind.

Mousse threw his chained claws, meaning to wrap the ninja, but the black smoke protected him from the weapons.

"Such feeble attacks will do nothing for you," Ku said. He turned and cut through the chains with his glowing katana and then blasted Mousse while he was stunned.

Shampoo replaced Mousse in battle with her aura active. She understood what the demon meant. Physical attacks were worthless, so she had to rely on the minimal training she had in chi techniques.

Ku sensed the girl coming at him, and held back on striking her down. Her potential emotions were too much to pass on. As he dodged her attempt to hit him, he directed his attention on the two old fighters, which were launching at him like midgets out of a cannon.

Cologne and Happosai joined in a rare alliance against the demon ninja. Happosai's knowledge of the Amazon arts aided greatly in their efforts, as he was able to adapt to Cologne's moves. She twirled her staff to create a violent whirlwind, and Happosai rode it, bombs ready.

Ku saw the combined attack and was all too happy to meet it head on. He flew into the whirlwind, and avoided the bombs that Happosai threw. In time, the whirlwind became made of fire from the bombs. Then blue and green flashes of light burst from it as Happosai engaged Ku in a battle of auras.

Akane watched the tornado of fire continue to burst with explosions. Cologne did not stop it from spinning, no matter how violent it got. The pillar of spiraling fire was ripping the soccer field apart, tossing dirt and rocks everywhere. That is, until it was suddenly ripped apart by a bright green explosion.

Cologne stared up as her tornado was destroyed by the blast of green energy. In the fading flames, Happosai's unconscious body flew down to the Earth, and there was Ku, descending with his black chi close behind.

Ku took aim at the old woman as he fell towards the ground. As he did, he expanded his black chi, and threw it ahead of him.

Cologne couldn't move as the black smoke fell upon her. Dread spread through her whole body as the chi's icy touch coated her. She couldn't describe what was passing through her body, mind, and soul. It was if this demon could wield fear as a weapon, force it on its enemies. It ate at her, took her energy, made her body weak. All hope was crushed by the negative emotions that were swelling in her like a cancerous growth. The weight of the despair that consumed her was too much, and she blacked out.

The others watched in fear as the black smoke fell on Cologne. They heard nothing as the chi pooled around her, and the ninja fell in on top. When it cleared, the ninja was hunched over her unconscious body.

"Aiya! Great grandmother!" Shampoo cried.

Ku looked over at the purple haired Amazon and smiled behind his mask. She was mortified, and frozen from her fear. The same could not be said for the three men that were still conscious, whom all attacked him together.

Ku was silent as the three men attacked. Of all of the people that'd come to stop him, these were the weakest of the lot. Skilled fighters? Sure, but their training in using chi and auras was minimal, at best. It took minimal effort to dispatch them, one at a time. With the three men now lying at his feet, groaning, he stepped towards Akane.

Akane didn't know what to do as Ku advanced on her. While she was a skilled martial artist, she knew she stood no chance after witnessing what Ku had done to the others. _Ranma, where are you?_ she wondered.

"Afraid, woman?" Ku asked. He could feel her fear, but enjoyed asking. The way her soul struggled for control was entertaining.

Akane said nothing. Of course she was afraid. She was nearly scared to death already. As Ku walked closer, his black chi spread to take up nearly all her eyes could see, consuming the area like doom itself.

Ku relished in Akane's fear. It was always exhilarating to take in people's fear, but this girl was something else. She was so deathly afraid, but for so many reasons. He could sense it reaching in different directions. He was so enthralled by its intensity, he was taken aback when a sudden defiant presence was in front of it.

Akane had to step back to avoid falling when Shampoo suddenly landed in front of her. The Amazon kept her back to Akane and had her chúi raised. Her aura was glowing brightly as she grit her teeth at Ku.

"Such anger," Ku said as he observed the girl. "And yet... it's not all being directed at me, is it?" he asked. He could still sense the turmoil in her.

Shampoo did not respond to the question, but the words still struck her. Despite everything, she couldn't shake that nagging pounding in the back of her head.

Ku took silent pleasure in the girls struggle. "Does having to protect Akane trouble you?" he asked.

Shampoo flinched slightly. This wasn't the first time she'd helped Akane, not by a long shot.

Ku sensed that second of shock to the question. "How interesting..." he said. He let his black chi spread over the two girls, but did not touch them. Their fear spiked as the black smoke wrapped around them. It was intoxicating.

Ku probed the purple haired one with his mind's eye. Within the field of his chi, he could sense so much more, and his millennia of life had taught him how to identify every human emotion, and the way to pick at them. The deep seeded spots of hot emotion in her chest were very telling, and he used his chi's influence to spread it like a poison. "What's this? Jealousy?" he asked.

Shampoo swallowed a lump that'd appeared in her throat. She tried to calm herself, but the black smoke around her seemed to make that harder to do. It's icy grip was nearly paralyzing on her mind, and she suddenly felt certain thoughts becoming stronger, no matter how hard she tried to douse them.

"Jealousy towards... her?" Ku asked.

Shampoo didn't look back at Akane. She couldn't, because she didn't want to know what that would do to her. She was wondering what the hell was wrong with her. She'd always felt jealousy over Akane Tendo, yes, but it'd never felt like this before. It was like the feeling was being forced down on her.

She grit her teeth and steeled her resolve. She wouldn't let this thing affect her like this. She knew it had to be some kind of trick to toy with her.

Ku sensed her struggle and lavished it. The struggle only made the fruit more sweet once eaten. "Such fire," he said of her defiance. "Such determination." Ku wondered what would cause the girl to struggle against the jealousy, and why it was so particularly strong. He wagered a guess. "Is this about Ranma?"

That did it. Hearing that hit Shampoo like a giant boulder. She couldn't shove down the flood of feelings when she heard Ranma brought up now. As soon as they appeared, it's like they were frozen in place.

Ku laughed at how the girl responded. "So it _is_ about Ranma," he said. "Which means, you're jealous because of her closeness to him."

Shampoo couldn't stop her feelings from seeping out. They felt foreign to her, even though she knew they were true, however small they used to be. Akane's closeness to Ranma was a slap to her face, and a blow to her honor. She was the greatest warrior of her generation, and had the potential to surpass all of those before her. She was the next in line to become an elder, perhaps even high elder. Her honor was supposed to be above all, and it was already foretold that the man that bested her would be a man above all other men. A man would have to be to beat one as great as her, and it was true. Ranma Saotome defeated the dragon prince of the Musk Dynasty and killed the god Saffron. He'd done what no other man has ever done. He was a legendary man, and there was this _weakling_ by his side, all the time, instead of her. Never mind that he hadn't yet been claimed. It was disgraceful enough to her that he was seen with another female. It was damning, and worse yet, now her ability to claim him was frozen because of _this girl_. All of this screamed for vengeance.

Ku sensed the fury boiling within Shampoo. It was some of the most powerful fury he'd ever sensed, and he knew it would only take one tiny push to send her tumbling over the edge. He remembered when he sensed Ranma's chi for the first time since he'd last fought him. He'd been too far away to sense anything of detail, but he could tell that he was being intimate with Akane, even if it was only for a minute. "She certainly does share a special bond with him," he said.

That did it. Shampoo's mind snapped. Whatever hold this blackness had on her had done its work, and she slowly turned her face towards Akane.

Akane had been watching the whole thing happen nervously. She didn't know why, but she couldn't find it in her to speak as Ku seemed to torture Shampoo's mind. When she saw her finally turn to look at her, she was shocked at the look in her eyes.

Shampoo's eyes looked completely mad, as if she'd lost her mind. There wasn't anger, fear, sorrow, or anything. Those eyes were completely insane as they looked at her.

"Sh-shampoo?" Akane finally managed to murmur.

Shampoo did not reply. She turned her body so she could look at her more directly. She moved slowly and unnaturally, like a puppet, or someone in a hypnotic trance. Just as slowly, she raised her right arm, chúi in hand, preparing to strike.

"KU!" a high pitched voice echoed loudly.

Ku turned at the sudden intrusion and his chi also turned, stopping its spell over the girls within. Ku recognized the red headed girl that Akane had called Ranma standing just a few yards from him. He decided he'd deal with her before having some more fun with the other girls, and pulled his chi back into a more tightly knit cocoon around himself.

Shampoo blinked and her eyes returned to normal. She felt her body's strength return as well as her normal control over her mind. The once powerful emotions faded back, and she felt like she was waking from a nightmare. Realization over everything made her feel cold. Her intense jealousy and rage were now being replaced by embarrassment and shame.

Shampoo lowered her chúi and turned away from Akane to hide her face. While it had been forced on her, somehow, she couldn't deny the truth to what she'd experienced. They were the same thoughts and feelings that she had allowed to control her when she declared the right of challenge on her great grandmother. They were the same ones that made her try to kill Akane the next morning.

Akane did not say anything to Shampoo when she hid her face. She saw that look, and knew she was feeling ashamed about something she probably wouldn't be able to understand, especially right at this moment. She instead looked over to what had caused Ku to suddenly stop what he was doing to Shampoo. "Ranma," she nearly whispered.

Shampoo looked over when she heard Akane say his name. Seeing Ranma standing there only seemed to amplify the shame she felt. If she had actually done it, and struck Akane, there was no way she'd ever obtain honor ever again.

Ranma stood with a kettle in one hand, and a long cloth bundle in the other, glaring at Ku. "It's time to end this," she said.

Ranma dropped the cloth bundle and raised the kettle over her head. She tipped it and poured the hot water.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Heaven or Hell! Duel one! Let's Rock!

Kudos to those who know where that's from.

Ai no ketsugō = Binding of Love or Bond of Love

This may be the last update until next year, as I'm going on holiday travels through the new year. I'll have my laptop with me to do some writing here and there, but we all know how holidays go. I do have half of chapter 19 written, as it's my policy to mostly finish the next chapter before releasing one in case I need to make some changes for smoothness between them. So, who knows, I may get around to finishing it up. We're actually finally getting back around to my original outline before the four year break. This fight has pretty much been in the vault all this time.

Happy holidays!

**Compucles:** Well, in my whole take on Amazon Law, I don't think the kiss of death and kiss of marriage have stacking effects the more times someone defeats an Amazon. It's obvious enough that the KoD was nulled when Ranma was discovered to be a male, but they never bring up the fact that he's defeated Shampoo multiple times as leverage for her claim in the manga or anime, so I won't either. That certainly would be interesting... That would mean the more Ranma beats her, the more hot for him she'd get, which is a twisted take on sado-masochism.

The issue on P-chan's adoption is also kind of iffy. It really is a matter of perspective, as it all takes place in the span of an hour. The truth is, Akane does find him, and then has Ranma bathe him, which is when he learns the truth, but Ranma makes the promise to the dog before he ever finds out about the pig. The matter of the "promise", and finding out about Ryoga's curse, and the adoption of P-chan all take place together. At the time, I don't think Ranma realized Akane had any intention of keeping the pig as a pet.

As for the actual adoption, it really seems to me that wouldn't happen until the next day when she cleared it with her father and Kasumi, the people responsible for the house. But, it's like I said, it's a matter of perspective. My personal take is that it's unrealistic for anyone to find an animal and just be like "Hey, I'm adopting it," without asking for permission from the people in charge of the house. I have Ranma's take as him assuming Akane's adopting the runt when she decides to take him to bed after the bathroom incident.

**linkgold64:** Thank you, sir.

**AliceTheBookGirl:** Even if they do mate, it would be far too unbelievable that they'd tell anyone, so that way out is pretty much 100% not happening, unless they're caught in the act. There's also the big issue on Nodoka frowning on them doing that before marriage. She's deadly when it comes to being old fashioned, and Ranma in no way wants to disappoint her.

The matter with Ukyo has a lot of dimensions to it. All of her problems about Ranma ditching her are obviously skewed, but the whole thing about the girls talking behind her back as a kid were actually about the loss of the dowry. They believed she'd never get a husband without one to give. I'm assuming she comes from a really small, old fashioned town for the girls to think that way. As for finding a loophole, I don't think I can find one, or even want to. As I said, it won't be sugar and rainbows.

**Richard Ryley:** Leave it to me to remember the end of that arc, and not the beginning. Well, at least there's no confusion over her knowing.

Yes, I don't necessarily think he has a split personality, since those usually involve not realizing it. He is definitely conscious of his behavior changes, which is why it's so despicable in the way he takes advantage of his cursed form around girls. I just wanted to point out how much he changes, much like how Ranma does at times. In contrast, Shampoo and Mousse do not seem to behave differently at all, except for maybe Shampoo's initial arrival as a cat. After revealing herself though, she hardly really acts differently to the level Ryoga does as a pig. Taro also doesn't change personality at all, but he's about as one dimensional as characters come in the Ranma universe. Genma has done the opposite, and taken the panda personal into his human side. So, they're all different in how they handle their curses, but Ryoga, to me, is the one that acts the most different in the alternate form, because he just seems to believe he can get away with it.

Yes, it's tough trying to think up believable Amazon law without it being too convenient. I've only fleshed out the ones that pertain to Ranma and Akane's issue with Shampoo. Shampoo's problem that I've created involves so much more red tape to get through.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	19. Limit

Nodoka sat in the family room of the Tendo residence with Nabiki and Kasumi. She had a sad expression on her face while she fanned herself absentmindedly in the early evening heat, recalling what had transpired before the three women met in the family room.

After Ranma had gotten the water he needed, he had stormed into the guest room he shared with his parents to take the family blade from her. She didn't even have a chance to protest or ask why he needed the sword before Ranma, in his cursed form, flashed her a look that told her it was a matter of life or death. She let Ranma leave, watching sadly, fearing what he would need the sword for.

That question was answered when Kasumi came upstairs soon after Ranma left. Her face looked apologetic, as if she had bad news to deliver. When she asked her to join her and Nabiki in the family room, it didn't take Nodoka long to put it all together. The only people left in the house were the three women that didn't know how to fight.

Once they'd gotten to the family room, Kasumi explained what little she knew. Everyone felt a sense of dread on learning that Ranma was on his way to fight Ku, whom was after Akane to flush him out.

After Kasumi explained, the three sat in silence. Nodoka fanned herself with her little hand fan while Kasumi sat on the other side of the table with an untouched cup of tea. Nabiki was in between them, on a third side, holding her head up with her jaw resting on both hands.

Kasumi and Nabiki both feared for their sister while Nodoka feared for her son. It just wasn't normal for a seventeen year old to face death like this. Sure, he was the manliest seventeen-year-old she'd ever known, but she was still his mother, and she still worried for her baby.

No one knew exactly where everyone had gone. Kasumi had heard something about the school Ranma and Akane went to, but thought it better to keep that to herself. She knew how troubled Ranma's mother must feel, but having more people around would only complicate things for him.

Thus, the three women sat in nervous silence. Not a word was ever said between them. The only sound in the room was the ticking from the clock in the entry way of the house.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter XIX: Limit**

* * *

Ranma poured the hot water from the kettle onto her head.

Ku watched as the hot water transformed the girl into the man he'd been seeking. A sudden flash of realization hit him, and he couldn't help but laugh at how obvious it should have been. "So that's it," he said. "A Jusenkyo curse. It's been a long time since I've seen a human with one."

Ranma threw the kettle to the ground and retrieved the cloth bundle he'd lowered to the ground earlier. He removed the cloth to reveal his family's blade and slung it over his shoulder. "For an ancient demon, with so many years of experience, and has seen one before, you certainly are dumb," he said.

Ku didn't respond to the insult. Insults didn't matter to him. He had no pride over his intelligence. "I'll admit, I should have known better," he said. "But I certainly cannot complain. These women of yours provided such exquisite treats."

Ranma had no idea what he was talking about, but the words didn't sit well with him. Any sort of treats a demon would take from a human couldn't be cookies, especially if that woman was Akane. No, he thought of things much worse, and it made his blood boil.

Ku sensed Ranma's anger. The power beneath it was incredible. He would not toy with this one, however. He couldn't waste his concentration on his senses over emotions. No, it was time to get what he came for. "So, Ranma," he said while turning to face him. He fully absorbed his black chi into his body. Once the black smoke was within him, he unleashed a green aura brighter and larger than Ranma had ever seen, except for the one Saffron had. "Are you ready to no longer exist?" he asked.

Ranma didn't like the sounds of that, but didn't let it get to him. It's not like he really had a choice in fighting him. He got into a combat stance and exhaled slowly. He remembered the last time he'd fought Ku, and lost. Every grim detail replayed in an instant. He'd be smarter this time.

Time hung as he looked at his opponent and stilled his heart against his emotions. He knew what to expect from this demon, and wouldn't let his fear get the best of him. He found his center, and tapped it. His aura exploded around him. He was ready.

As Ranma and Ku had their stand-off, Akane and Shampoo ran over to where everyone else was either dazed, or unconscious. They helped Soun, Genma, and Mousse up, but could not get a response from either Happosai or Cologne. To their relief, though, both of them were alive.

"So, my boy's finally made it," Genma said as he finally got to his feet.

"I hope his training was enough," Soun said.

Akane felt a tinge of anger at her father's seeming lack of confidence. She had her doubts, but she would never verbalize them. She had to more than hope it was enough. She had to _believe_ that the training was enough for him to win.

Ranma stood ready for battle. He watched his opponent closely, feeling his chi for any sudden changes. He knew to expect things he'd never experience before, so he did not want to attack first. This was an opponent he needed to watch and learn as best he could without expending too much of his energy.

Ku could sense nothing from Ranma. He was good at being focused, not that it really mattered. Everything changed once a battle had time to wear down a mortal's spirit. Focus would give way to emotion, and those emotions would be how he broke him.

Set on his goal, Ku made the first move, and rushed at Ranma. He had waited a long time for this moment, so he didn't want it to end too quickly. His first attack was a simple punch to Ranma's head.

Ranma was surprised at the simple punch, but did not let it break his focus. He leaned back to let to fly past him, but regretting the simple juke immediately. While the punch may have been simple, Ku's aura was still surrounding him. Ranma's skin felt like it was being grazed by sharp blades as the ice cold aura glided past his face. The sensation was enough to send him staggering backwards, but he did not fall off his feet.

_Geez, and he didn't even touch me,_ Ranma thought as he rubbed his offended cheek.

When Ku attacked again, Ranma steeled himself. He dodged and blocked the combination of punches and kicks, feeling the sting of frost bite each time the aura came in contact with his flesh. The only good thing was that his body was not getting frost bite, and the pain subsided a couple of seconds after each hit. That is, until Ku landed a solid punch to Ranma's chest and sent him back a few steps.

_Damn, he hits hard!_ Ranma grabbed his chest where it had been hit. Just like the times before, it felt like that punch had gone right through him, and it hurt like hell.

Ku smirked from behind his mask. His hand felt like it had punched solid stone, which pleased him.

Ranma looked at Ku and thought about what'd happened so far. He had considered trying the hiryu shoten ha in a previous fight, but knew that would never work. Ku's very presence was ice, so the soul of ice wouldn't exactly create a counter wind. That's when Ranma's mind clicked. Using the soul of ice could possibly prevent the pain his body was feeling from the aura.

Ranma breathed in deep and emptied his mind as much as he could. He let go of all emotion, going beyond even the balanced state he used for his aura. He felt his body begin to chill, and knew it was working.

When Ku attacked again, Ranma dodged just like before. He didn't feel the sting as the aura grazed him, but did not let that affect him. He couldn't let any emotion through.

Ku continued the fight in full, launching combinations against Ranma. Ranma remained on defense the whole time, and no longer felt pain when he had to block grazing blows. He figured it was time to finally fight back, and when a high kick presented an opening, he caught the leg by hooking his arm over it. With Ku stuck, Ranma delivered a kick to his side, but a sudden burning on his arm caused it to lose a lot of its force by the time it hit.

Ranma groaned and released Ku's leg after landing his kick. Yes, the soul of ice worked for quick hits, but holds were apparently out of the question. He rubbed his arm over the invisible wound. It took more than a few seconds for the pain to fade away.

_I can't let him keep the fight going like this,_ Ranma thought as he considered things. While this may appear more manageable, Ranma didn't know if physical attacks would even hurt Ku, and was sure that fighting like this would be very slow and painful for him. He was also a little concerned over Ku's behavior. Last time, he'd been more aggressive in his testing. Now, it was like he was toying with him for some sick reason. He didn't like being toyed with. _Time to put all of that training to good use._

When Ku pressed on, Ranma made his move. He didn't wait for Ku to attack, and punched first, throwing a blast of chi from his fist. This took Ku from surprise, but he was able to dodge the attack by dropping into a roll. Ranma didn't expect the attack to really hit. It wasn't a powerful one, but he was still conserving himself.

Ku remembered all of the training that Ranma had been doing and grinned. This would be a real treat. "And now the fun begins," he said.

No longer feeling the need to hold back, Ku returned Ranma's attack in kind, and sent a blast of green aura at him from his palm. Ranma jumped over the blast. He already knew what those felt like, and had no intention of letting them touch him.

He now focused harder on Ku's chi, because he knew any kind of defense from these attacks needed to know how powerful they were. As the next blast came, he felt it's power, and launched his own right at it.

Ranma's blue blast collided with Ku's green one, and they exploded brightly. Ranma had gauged Ku's attack correctly, and felt a boost in confidence. As long as he could keep his blasts matched, he could contain him. He was now ready to throw himself into the fight, and began launching more blasts while Ku did the same.

Everyone watched in silent prayer as Ranma engaged Ku. The two combatants launched blasts of chi at each other from their hands and feet. Ku's power was as frightful as ever, showing he had never truly shown what he was capable of in any of his past fights. Their hearts did not tremble, however, because Ranma's own power matched Ku's each time their blasts collided.

Akane watched in awe of Ranma. Even having watched him train these techniques did not prepare her for this. All of those training sessions he'd been holding back, and simply practicing performing the moves. To actually see him put power into them made the blasts so much larger and brighter.

Ranma was devoid of emotion as he fought with Ku. He had to move as fast as he could to keep out of the way of Ku's blasts while keeping up his own attacks. He took no pleasure in matching Ku like this, because he'd already seen Ku use different moves, and he wasn't using his black chi yet.

Ku was impressed so far. Ranma was matching his blasts, showing great control and the ability to sense chi to a fine degree. Even better, Ku's own senses told him that Ranma hadn't even started to wear himself down.

The two men continued their duel of energy blasts. They fought around in a tight circle, both trying to keep the fight close in a delicate balance of immovable defense and pressuring offense.

Ku was growing tired of this exchange. It had become clear that Ranma was his superior when it came to physical skill, but there was no way he'd be able to match his chi techniques. He decided it was time to get on with it, and blew Ranma back by unleashing his black chi.

As cold as it felt when Ku was throwing his chi blasts around, it was nothing compared to when the black chi spread from his body. Now the whole area around him felt ice cold as the eerie numbness prickled along his skin.

Ranma took a couple of breaths to calm himself to the eerie feeling the chi gave off. It wasn't as bad as before, since his aura seemed to help repel it. "It's about time you started being serious," he said.

Ku did not reply, and pulled out his katana. The blade glowed as his green aura spread through it.

Ranma huffed. "Time to take out all the stops, huh?" he asked and pulled out his family blade. He'd never used his aura with a weapon before, but he was well trained in weapons combat. His father had trained him to treat every weapon, every possible object, as an extension of his own body when wielded for combat. Those long years on the road had him learning of the fine balance of weapons combat, and how the weight of the weapon must be treated. They were the same lessons as with using his chi, everything in balance. Feel the push and pull. For once, he was glad for his dad's obsessive training methods from childhood.

Akane and the others looked on silently. No one knew how well Ranma handled weapons combat, except his father, whom wore a stern expression. The others were more nervous, most of all Akane. She had her hand clenched to her chest as she saw the two men facing off, when Ku's black smoke went rigid. "Ranma, look out!" she cried.

Ranma saw it too, and lowered into a defensive pose. Ku let out a feral growl, and the black smoke charged forward. Ranma swung his sword upwards, creating a blade of chi from the ground that blocked the black smoke. As it split to avoid the chi slice, Ku appeared behind it with his sword ready to attack. Ranma twisted his sword down at the end of his swing to guard, and the two blades collided against each other loudly as their auras exploded into a shockwave of energy.

Ku struggled against Ranma's guard. He'd never met a mortal that could match his aura for strength, making Ranma all the more enticing. As they fought for the advantage, he brought his black chi arching over them and down towards Ranma.

Ranma sensed the black smoke sneaking above him while he fought with Ku. He folded his arms and then extended them to spring back from Ku. As the smoke was just about on him, he vanished into the umi-sen ken and out of its reach.

Ku paused his advance as his chi slammed into the ground where Ranma had just been. To his surprise, he could not sense him anymore, but he knew he was still close. This wasn't the first chi masking technique he'd experienced.

Ranma dashed past Ku in the umi-sen ken. He eyed his opponent warily. This was clearly a fight against two, and not just one, which demanded a different strategy. He knew how he was going to handle Ku, but the black chi was another thing entirely. It was made up of chi, but was so different than anything he'd felt before. He had a sinking suspicion that it may actually be the demon itself. If that was true, he couldn't waste too much energy on the body it was possessing.

Settling on a plan of attack, Ranma leapt towards Ku, sword raised overhead, and slipped out of the umi-sen ken. With a loud cry, he sent his aura surging through the blade of his sword and swung down at the black smoke, sending a huge wave of blue light down upon it.

Ku sensed Ranma's chi above him and leapt back as he pulled his black chi away from the attack. The wave of blue light cut into the ground, making it shake from the force of Ranma's power.

Ranma looked up after landing to see the black smoke whipping towards him again. He threw another wave of chi from his sword. The blue wave sliced into the smoke, causing it to halt its attack and split around it, but the attack only seemed to repel the smoke, rather than hurt it. After the wave vanished, the smoke simply reformed together and swung for Ranma again, nearly hitting its mark this time when Ranma jumped away.

_Damn! _Ranma thought as the smoke barely missed him. There was no time to think, though, as the smoke moved for him again without pause.

Ranma turned into a spin kick while still in the air and deflected the smoke with a blast from his aura. The blue blast splashed against the blackness, but did nothing besides halt it for a second before evaporating away. Rather than continue its pursuit, the smoke instead pulled back, allowing Ku to fire attacks from his katana. Ranma didn't hesitate, and countered by slashing his family's blade while landing on the ground, clashing with each of the attacks. They were far too many, however, and Ranma had to resort to pumping his chi into his katana and simply guarding against the last few green blades. He was relieved when the tactic worked, although it consumed more energy than he had wanted to use.

With his flurry of blades all deflected, Ku pressed on with his black chi following close behind. The ninja moved swiftly along the ground while the black smoke glided eerily in the air around him. Ranma did not wish to be cornered into a defensive again, so he did not wait for them to reach him. He met Ku's charge with his own, but as the ninja swung for him with his black chi following the green aura, Ranma vanished into the umi-sen ken again. The ninja had considered this tactic being used this time, and used his own vanishing technique, slipping into the cover of his black chi like it was a cloak.

Akane and the others gazed into the now clear and calm soccer field. The two fighters had both vanished, leaving behind a gentle wind that wisped away into a deafening silence. For a moment, everything was perfectly still, when the wind suddenly picked up again, and Ranma and Ku reappeared.

They were only two meters apart, and both rushing forward out of their different vanishing techniques into a violent clash of tempered steel and brilliant auras. Ranma and Ku glared at each other from behind their blades. Their auras hissed and sparked against each other. Not an inch was given between the two, and neither would surrender.

Ranma grit his teeth as he continued to struggle against Ku. He couldn't hold the stalemate much longer, and from Ku's insane eyes, it didn't look like he was tiring. With few options available, Ranma went for the easiest one. He leaned into his push and used Ku's force against him to spring back and escape back into the umi-sen ken. Ku stumbled slightly, but quickly followed suit again under the cloak of his black chi.

Once again, the two fights reappeared together to clash, this time with Ranma sending a large wave of his aura with his slash. Ku had no time to react with his own wave from his sword, but his black chi swiftly moved in to absorb the energy attack before their swords met. Caught in another stand-off, the two vanished again, and again they attacked as they appeared. Waves of blue and green energy burst out of thin air as the two combatants launched their attacks and then vanished again. The display was a dazzling display of power, martial arts prowess, and cunning strategy.

The battle of hidden fighters and chi blasts from their swords continued in rapid, violent fashion. Neither was able to land a single blow on their opponent. The waves of energy were tearing the field apart, its destruction mirroring the darkening sky that was beginning to rumble with thunder as lighting cracked through the clouds.

"This can't be good," Genma said as he eyed the black clouds overhead.

Akane had a sinking feeling in her stomach even before Genma had said anything. If a storm started, Ranma would be in a much worse situation than he was now.

Ranma hadn't noticed the coming storm as he fought with Ku. He didn't notice much of anything while in the umi-sen ken. Much of his surroundings were blurred as he moved quickly and kept his focus on Ku as best he could. His senses were ablaze with the surrounding blasts of chi as he continued to attack, hide, run, and pursue. He kept in constant motion, never allowing Ku more than a second to home in on him. This kept the black chi largely out of the fight.

Ku continued to chase and bait Ranma in their game of hide and seek. He found his vanishing technique to be rather troublesome, as it completely masked his chi. He did note, however, that it was not a true vanishing technique in the sense that the body truly disappeared, but simply was hidden from the senses. Every time Ranma used it, he was still physically present, and still limited by the physical boundaries of being human. Ku was able to exploit this by predicting where his body was going each time Ranma vanished, and used his blink ability to quickly position himself to attack. This eventually lead to a large opening, and Ku seized it by tilting his sword down and turning in a wide arc that sent a large wall of green aura slamming into Ranma.

Ranma saw the wall too late, and was unable to defend or counter against it. Even guarding wasn't enough against the large expanse of energy, and the impact sent him flying backwards. Ranma groaned against the pain shooting through his body and to keep his concentration. The green aura felt like it was ripping through him when it hit, and once thrown back, it was like dozens of knives were being pulled from his chest.

The pain hadn't fully subsided before Ku was on him again. The ninja was attacking with his katana while the black chi moved to swallow them both. Ranma caught Ku's sword with his own, but his was still off balance, and at Ku's mercy. Ku twisted their swords around, and with a fluid flick, disarmed Ranma. The sword whirled through the air with a resonating clang and landed, point in the ground, nearly thirty feet away.

Ranma felt his sword ripped from his hands and felt an instant pump of adrenaline. He was now very much defenseless against Ku's weapon, and had to act now. He could rely on tricks, or cunning to try to disarm him, he needed to use brute force, and he had just the thing. Without wasting a second, he flipped onto his right hand and started throwing his aura out of a flurry of spin kicks. ""Kakusareta ryū no dansu!" he shouted.

The whirlwind of blue serpents exploded in all directions. They struck Ku, whom wasn't expecting the attack to come in such a direction, and ripped his katana from his hands. The sword was carried in their wake, landing even further away than Ranma's.

Ranma finished his attack, and noticed it had also managed to fend off the black smoke. He used the opening to spring away off his hands to land in a ready stance a few meters back. This was when he finally noticed the storm clouds for the first time, and a crackle of thunder and lightning preceded the start of the rain.

Everyone stood speechless as the cold rain fell over them. Ranma was a girl again, while Shampoo, Genma, and Mousse were reduced to their animal forms. Genma remained serious in his eyes, but Mousse and Shampoo were quacking and meowing wildly in protest to the dire turn of events. Akane and Soun were both looking at the rain with terror filled eyes.

"Why must it rain now, of all the nights?" Soun asked, as if the spirits could give him an answer.

Akane could say nothing and turned her eyes to Ranma. Now in his cursed form, Ranma showed no signs of being troubled by the sudden change. She was in the same ready stance, although Akane noted it appeared just a little looser than before.

Ranma groaned quietly as the rain pelted her. She really was hoping to get through this without water coming into play, and with it being rain, not even having hot water around would make any difference. Now things were going to get really tricky. Ranma had full faith in her abilities in her female form, but there were certain things that simply couldn't be ignored. She was weaker, had less reach, and as Herb had made clear, even her chi abilities would be weaker now.

"No running," Ranma told herself. She took a deep breath and prepared to give it her all. Her blue aura matched the flashes of lightning overhead.

Ku sneered at the sight of the girl. "Such a shame you must carry on that way," he said, sounding rather disgusted. "Perhaps it's time we ended this little game?"

Ku removed his hood and mask, like the last time he had fought Ranma. His pale, sickly aged face smiled through black, lifeless eyes. His long white hair blew in the wind, a sharp contrast against his black chi.

"Now, it all comes to an end!" Ku shouted.

The black smoked behind Ku expanded and ascended into the air. It roared as it consumed the space surrounding the ninja and now resembled a living creature more than a simple mass of black energy.

"Neat trick," Ranma said sarcastically. "But it'll take more than that to beat me!"

Ku responded by sending his chi towards Ranma like a tidal wave. The black smoke towered over her, aiming to crush her with its size alone.

Ranma answered by jumping into a backwards flip, all the while channeling her chi through her right leg. She sent a giant arc of blue energy upwards through her flip, splitting the black chi around her. When she landed, the black chi pulled back and Ku appeared from its depths, fists flying forward, charged with green aura.

Ranma blocked and juked around the punches, ignoring the searing pain the green aura burned on her skin. She was beyond the pain now. When she got an opening, she sent her own flurry of punches back at Ku, channeling her aura into every punch of her kachu tenshi amaguriken. The tactic resulted in a storm of blue chi blasts that the black chi was forced to take the brunt of, as there was no chance that Ku could avoid them all.

The small blasts hammered the chi, causing it to convulse under the beating, but it did not yield. When the barrage ended, the black smoke wrapped itself around Ku and sank into the ground. It slithered along the ground as a shadow, stretching into a long line from where it started under and behind Ranma.

Ranma followed the black chi as it stretched along the ground, keeping her defenses up at all times. When it stopped, it expanded from the ground into its monstrous form. Ranma glared at the blackness before her, but something else alerted her to danger. She looked frantically all around, but saw nothing. Her senses warned her again, as the ground began to shake, and she suddenly realized the line the black smoke had drawn on the ground was still there. She leapt back just in time to avoid the line suddenly erupting into a blaze of flames made of black shadowy chi.

"Ranma!" Akane cried. It looked like Ranma had been thrown by the blast, rather than by her own legs. She was finding it impossible to just stand by and watch while this demon possessed man used techniques they've never seen the likes of before. Ranma was completely out of his league, as far as Akane could tell, even after all of the training he'd done.

Ranma grunted as the black flames nearly got her. She'd barely been able to avoid that attack in time, and she was tired of Ku surprising her with more new tricks.

_I'm damn near out of tricks, and he just keeps coming out with more of them,_ Ranma lamented to herself.

The black smoke now completely raised itself from the ground and twirled into the air. It shrank and vanished into the wind.

"Ugh, not this again," Ranma said.

As before, the smoked suddenly appeared near Ranma, and Ku came flying out to attack. She dodged his attack easily, and returned her own with a spinning back hand that whipped a quick chi burst down towards him. The blue energy stuck Ku from above, visibly hurting him, but it did not stun him. He quickly vanished back into the cloak of the black smoke, and then into thin air.

"You can hide all you want, but I still got you!" Ranma remarked. "Come at me, and let's finish this!"

Whether in response to the taunt, or not, Ku, and his black chi reappeared in front of Ranma. Then ninja did not lunge for her this time. Instead, he merely snapped a quick green wave of energy at her with a horizontal chop, and then immediately vanished again.

Ranma saw the attack and jumped up to crush it with her own blue energy from a downwards chop. She then sensed Ku behind her and twisted in the air to kick at him with another blast of energy. Ku blocked this one with his own attack, and vanished into his chi again.

The next minute passed with Ku vanishing in and out of his black chi to attack Ranma from different angles. Each time, Ranma countered, and even managed to attack first. The waves of energy lit the sky almost as much as the lightning. The shockwaves from the explosive collisions could be seen from the rain splashing against them. This continued until Ranma caught Ku with another hit, and this time was able to follow it with a combination by performing a kata from the initial punch.

"He got him!" Soun exclaimed as the combination of strikes hammered Ku with blasts of blue energy. Mousse and Shampoo quacked and meowed emphatically from where they were standing at Soun's feet.

Genma growled and held up a sign. 'Keep hitting him!'

Ranma didn't read the sign, but didn't have to. She had no intention of losing any advantage, and continued to pummel Ku with blasts of energy. Her battle aura blossomed brightly as she fed more chi into her strikes. Her blows beat Ku backwards, and his chi seemed hapless to act in his defense as it wailed above him.

Ku grunted from the onslaught of attacks Ranma was delivering to him. It'd been a long time since he'd felt pain like this, and it had stunned him at first. As the blows continued, he was gradually adjusting to the sensation, and finally reigned in his control. Through sheer force of will, eh crossed his arms in front of his chest and emitted a massive amount of chi into his green aura. He then swung his arms outward and released the energy as a wave so powerful it went right through Ranma's attack and blew her away.

"You think you can hurt me?" Ku asked. He was now sounding angry. "You think you have any hope at defeating me? You cannot hope to even come close!"

Ranma watched as Ku vanished without the aid of his black chi. "Oh great, here comes the blinking," she said.

Ku reappeared at Ranma's side, leg already moving for a kick. Ranma's senses alerted her to the danger instantly, and she was able to avoid it by springing over him with her finger used for leverage on his shoulder.

When she landed, she was met with the black chi. "Oh, geez," she croaked.

Ranma had no choice but to use a blast of chi to ward off the black chi. Even as she performed the defensive maneuver, she sensed Ku appearing again, and quickly dodged him.

Ku blinked again, and again, chasing Ranma around with rapid attacks from every direction. Ranma was having trouble keeping up, even with her ability to sense danger. Every time she seemed to get a step ahead, the black chi came out of nowhere to try to smother her again, and set her back to square one. This proved to be too much for even Ranma's honed skills and increased speed in his cursed form. Eventually, more blows made it through Ranma's defenses, and struck her.

Ranma winced each time Ku broke through her defenses and struck her. Each time, she recovered quickly, but the hits were becoming more frequent as the black smoke was attacking more as well.

Ranma had her hands full trying to repel the black chi while also dodging the ninja. Akane was trying to keep up with everything with her eyes, but constantly found herself focusing on one or the other more, and was worried that Ranma was falling into the same trap.

Ranma groaned as Ku struck her in the gut. Her whole body was now burning from the pain of taking so many blows, and there was no end in sight. The black smoke was continuing to press on her, keeping her nerves on end while the ninja beat her around. Anything she did on defense only repelled them for a brief second, and expended precious energy. With nowhere else to go, she resorted to searching for her core existence, as Happosai called it.

Through the pain, Ranma saw it in her chest again. The tiny blue spec of light shined brightly and pulsed with her heart. She stripped away the layers of her defenses to reach the spec. All of her boasting, denials, and secrets were cast aside.

Deeper she dug, reaching into her heart. The outside world became a haze as she continued to dodge her enemies in search of her very nature. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears. Every breath she drew took another layer away from her heart. She did this until she was upon that spec. She was so close to it now it took up nearly her entire mind's eye. It was brimming with power, yet was in perfect balance and controlled. Ranma seized it. She glared at the approaching blackness and released it. Her aura flared to life and erupted skywards. It illuminated the black sky with intense blue light and roared loudly over the thunder.

Ku paused in shock at the form Ranma's aura had taken. He'd never seen such raw power in a human before, no matter how much they'd mastered the arts involving chi control and battle aura manipulation. This intense power had him in awe.

Ranma's aura burst wildly as it began to form itself together, but at the last second, it began to crumble. Some tiny doubt, deep in Ranma's heart held it back. Just as quickly as it had filled the sky, the blue aura fell back down into Ranma's body with a high pitched whine.

Ranma felt her aura re-entering her body like a mighty hammer slamming into her chest. The immense power overwhelmed her more than any attack could, and locked itself back into its tiny spec, leaving her on her knees feeling numb in its wake. "Why?" Ranma asked of herself. She didn't understand why it didn't work.

"You are indeed powerful," Ku remarked from where he was still standing. "More powerful than any mortal to have walked this earth before."

Ranma didn't say anything. Even if what Ku said was true, a lot of good it did her. She couldn't even use that power against him.

"You're all out of tricks," Ku said, now sounding pleased. He was sure that that last display was Ranma's last card. "You have nowhere to turn, now."

Ku advanced on Ranma slowly and his black chi swelled behind him. Ranma simply stared back with a look of defeat on her face. She'd used up every option she'd had, and gotten nowhere. All of her training, cunning, and strength came up short, in the end.

Ku laughed evilly as he came to a stop in front of Ranma. At long last, his journey was at its end. "Now Ranma…"

Ku was silenced by a sudden blast of blue chi against his back. He grunted from the surprise attack and turned to look incredulously at his attacker with his black chi twisting around to do the same.

"Akane!" Soun shouted at his daughter.

Panda Genma held up a sign. 'What is she doing!'

Akane was trembling with her fist forward. She couldn't stand by any longer and just watch. Without a word, she sent more blasts of her fiery chi and knocked Ku and his black chi away from Ranma. In seconds, she was by Ranma's side and helping her up.

"Akane?" Ranma asked in shock.

"I won't let you face this alone," she said.

"What? No way am I letting you fight!" Ranma shouted.

"And why not?" Akane asked. "I didn't do all of that training just to stand by and watch you fight like this! I'm a martial artist too!"

"I don't want to see you get hurt!"

"And you think I like seeing you get hurt?" Akane asked loudly. "You think I like having to stand there and watch helplessly while you fight like this?"

"Damnit, Akane, don't go turning this on me like that," Ranma grunted. "This is my fight. I have to fight it."

"But you don't have to fight it alone!" Akane insisted.

Ranma was stunned speechless at Akane's tone and words. She supposed that she had a point. This wasn't a man-to-man fight. It wasn't some honor bound battle that had any set of rules. She could accept help if she really wanted to. It was only her own stubbornness and insistence on proving she could do it alone that made her fight like this.

"I know you want to protect me from coming to any harm," Akane said, now speaking softly and as evenly as she could manage. "You've always fought so I wouldn't have to, but this time, I can't let you go it alone. It's just too hard standing on the sidelines watching you every time, not knowing if you'll be hurt or not."

"Akane…"

"Accepting my help won't make you any less of a man in my eyes," she said, voice trembling with emotion. "And I'd never be able to forgive myself if I let you get hurt like last time without trying my best by your side."

Ranma looked into Akane's eyes. They were glimmering with barely held back tears. Ranma had seen that look far too often on Akane's face. It was a look she never wanted to see ever again, and it made the fire in her heart burn hot. With a newfound resolve, she got her second wind. "Alright," she said.

"I'll fight by your side," Akane said, now smiling with determination.

Ranma still wanted to argue. She didn't like Akane being put in danger, but it was her inner fire that stopped her. Ranma felt that fire feeding her own and simply nodded. "We'll take him together, then," she said.

Together, the two girls assumed ready stances and faced Ku. He looked at them with a blank expression and contemplated what he saw. Their chi were flowing together, forming into one seamless energy; one massive, intense, golden energy that he'd not seen the likes of before. "What is this power?" he asked himself in wonder.

Akane and Ranma stood ready with their blue battle auras glowing brightly beside each other. Their stances were perfectly mirrored. Ku lowered into his own stance, and extended his green battle aura to match their combined glow alone. His black chi loomed over him, like a predator prepared to strike.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Madness! Shear madness! Not only was I traveling, but I was crippled by a severe flu and had a temperature of 104. Now, usually I would not mention such things, but the madness that ensued must be chronicled before I forget. As such, these notes are being written before this chapter is complete, or should I say, as I save an alternate copy and promptly delete over half of it? I say this, because the delirium I experienced was bleeding into my writing, and it was like reading the manuscript of a man gone insane writing about the end of days.

To put it bluntly, 104 is no joke. 103 is already where the line is usually drawn, and my family was ready to drag me to the hospital, but within an hour, my temperature was already dropping, so let's forget all of that drama. During that time though, when I'd get up, I was stumbling around like a drunkard, and my body felt like it'd been in a bar fight, pain all over, but no recollection of receiving it in the first place. On top of this, the dreams… oh, the dreams. I won't dodge any punches here. I dreamed that Worf from Star Trek: The Next Generation took up conducting a high school orchestra. He was so moved by his orchestra's trophy winning performance he was in tears as he gave his acceptance speech. I may consider myself to be a very creative person, but there's no way I could make that up. This happened in my head while I was delirious with fever. It's all real.

So, I was bedridden, and foolishly decided to try to hammer this out. What resulted was a complete mess of a narrative that may have made sense at the time, but now just looks like the drunken ramblings of an idiot. I may have to release it in the future as a joke.

This chapter wasn't as easy to get out as I thought it'd be, despite it being back in line with my original short concept. I just don't think I'm very good at writing fight sequences, and would honestly prefer to stick to the more drama-oriented story telling. That said, I hope this chapter made sense, and none of it seemed too weird or lame.

**Compucles:** Yeah, I don't mean to suggest that they will try to argue there's any invalidity to the kiss of marriage Shampoo gave to Ranma. In the way I have the laws described, Nabiki basically believes that too much time has passed to argue the validity, and that they should instead focus on the methods of ending the claim.

**AliceTheBookGirl:** Well, I think that emotion is a big part to any character development, and the characters of Ranma ½ have a lot of different reasons to feel the way they may or may not about the other characters. Exploring those emotions is what allows for characters to have a more dynamic way of developing somewhat naturally and in-character while keeping a story interesting.

**linkgold64:** I hope this chapter was worth the wait for you.

**Tristan:** Thank you for the kind words. I hope you enjoy chapter 7 and on, because things get a lot more interesting from there.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	20. Existence

Ranma and Akane stood in mirrored poses as they faced off against Ku.

The demon possessed ninja showed no emotion as he glared back at them through his black eyes. His sickly pale skin looked every bit a mask.

"Akane, are you sure about this?" Ranma asked without turning to look at her fiancée.

"I'm positive," Akane answered. She was surer of this than any other fight she'd ever thrown herself into. This wasn't a matter of her pride as a martial artist. The fire that burned in her heart demanded that she fight by Ranma's side, for no other reason than it is what felt right in the deepest depths of her soul.

"Just remember everything we went through the past few days," Ranma instructed. "Focus on keeping yourself centered, and the flow of chi. Your eyes won't be fast enough."

"I understand," Akane replied. She had been focusing on the flow of chi most of the time Ranma was fighting alone. It was awe inspiring how Ranma's energy flowed, burst, and moved against Ku's. She knew she'd have to follow that flow herself in order to keep on her feet.

"And don't let him touch you," Ranma warned.

"How am I supposed to fight him without touching him?" Akane asked.

Ranma groaned. Of course it'd be impossible to fight Ku without ever touching him, especially with Akane's skill level in chi techniques. "Just be ready for anything then," she said. "His aura can hurt you just my coming into contact with your body."

Ranma felt Akane stiffen next to her at the sound of her words. It passed a second later, and the two stood in balance again. Their auras fed into each other, filling Ranma's reserves that she'd used earlier. In the deepest depths of her center, her blue speck became coated with a faint golden light.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter XX: Existence**

* * *

Ku watched as the two auras in front of him mingled in strange ways. Whatever means these two had used to become bonded so closely had some very interesting effects. While they were both powerful, and wildly different on their own, their chi seemed to change when close together. Neither was the same as they were alone. Ku wondered how it would change once he ripped them apart.

"You're a brave one to choose to fight where your better has failed," Ku said to Akane.

Akane knew Ku was talking to her. She didn't let Ku's taunt affect her and said, "It's true, Ranma is a better martial artist than I'll ever be, but I'm not fighting in his place. He hasn't failed."

Ku took amusement to Akane's words. "Then you can fail together," he said. "And in the end, when I snuff the last drop of life from you, you'll know it was all in vain."

"Don't listen to him," Ranma said from beside Akane.

Before another word could be said, Ku went on the offensive. Akane felt Ranma's chi move, and followed as best she could. Together, they dodged the ninja's powerful strike to the side, and then leapt over the black smoke as it followed close behind.

Akane felt like she was outside of her body when she moved. All of her senses were sharper than before, from what, she did not know. She assumed it had something to do with how her chi was intermingling with Ranma's. It was strange, but her chi just naturally fit together with Ranma's when they were close like this.

When they landed after leaping over the black smoke, Ranma lead their counterattack. She reached her arms back and swung them forward while rolling her shoulders and moving her body in a fluid motion. Akane felt the tug on her chi and pushed it forward into Ranma's hands, allowing her to throw it with hers.

Ranma launched a giant wave of flowing energy that burst with Akane's fire. It burned against the black smoke, forcing it to retreat from the combined strength of their chi.

While the black smoke retreated away, Ku threw his own chi blasts towards the two girls. With a blast from each hand, he forced them back in different directions. Before they could recover, Ku blinked, and appeared in front of Akane with his fist pulled back.

Akane couldn't hope to dodge in time, so she raised her arm to block Ku's punch. She braced herself with her chi, but the blow still sent her staggering back. She'd never been hit so hard before, and she had to grit her teeth to stop herself from crying in pain.

"Akane!" Ranma cried. She'd seen Akane take the punch, and winced as if she'd felt it herself. She rushed to Akane's aid without a passing thought and sprang into the air to deliver a kick with both of her feet extended. Ku caught Ranma's kick by crossing his arms over his chest, but Ranma quickly bounced off of them back into the air. She clapped her hands together over her head and swung them down, producing a giant blade of blue energy that slammed into Ku before he had a chance to react.

Ranma landed next to Akane, whom had just managed to get her wits back. She grabbed her shoulder while keeping her other hand raised defensively towards Ku. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Akane said.

"Don't let him catch you like that," Ranma said harshly, not realizing the tone she was using.

Akane choked back in shock at Ranma's tone. "I'm trying my best," she insisted.

"Your best is standing there like an idiot?" Ranma asked incredulously.

"Don't call me an idiot!" Akane was now glaring at Ranma, as if Ku was no longer what was important.

Ranma was about to deliver her retort when the ominous chill of Ku's chi suddenly sent chills down her spine. She turned her attention to where Ku was standing, but saw nothing but an expanse of black smoke towering over them.

"Look out!" Ranma exclaimed. She quickly lifted Akane in her arms and flew backwards away from the black smoke.

"Put me down!" Akane protested. She was not in the mood to be treated like she was helpless.

"I'm not going to leave you behind like that!" Ranma shouted back.

"I can take care of myself!"

Soun and Genma watched the two teenagers bicker like they always did and sighed. Even when they approached with the best of intentions, it seemed that Ranma and Akane always came to insults and conflict with one another. It was particularly unsettling though, that this pattern would so easily assert itself in such a dire circumstance.

"Now is not the time to argue with one another!" Soun yelled.

Genma held up a sign and roared towards his son. 'Get your head straight!'

"And here I thought you two would be trouble together," Ku mocked the girls as he appeared before them.

Ranma attempted to punch Ku, but the ninja vanished into thin air and appeared on their other side. Ranma attacked again, but the same happened, with Ku appearing a few feet away this time. "Damn! Stand still, will ya?" Ranma shouted in frustration.

"You're even worse now than you were before," Ku remarked.

Ku's words stung Ranma and Akane both, but it hit Akane harder. Of course she was just getting in the way. Even she could see that now. Since the fight started, she'd done nothing but argue with Ranma, like always. "I'll get out of your way," she said sadly.

Akane tried to walk away, but yelped as her senses alerted her to danger. She stepped back as a burst of green energy was whipped at her feet.

"Akane!" Ranma held her steady.

"You think you can just walk away?" Ku asked grimly. "This isn't some game you've stepped into, little girl."

Akane and Ranma retreated back a step as Ku whipped the ground at their feet with small blades of green energy. "You should have thought about the price when you decided to fight me," he continued. "Had you remained aside, you would have simply needed to bare losing Ranma, but now, you too will meet an end!"

Ku's black chi was upon them again. It snaked around them, gripping them tightly in its icy presence. Akane huddled closely to Ranma by reflex, and Ranma held her protectively.

"Akane, we can't go back now," Ranma said. "We have to make the best of this situation. Don't worry about anything else. Just focus on the flow of chi, and we'll get through this."

Akane tried to calm herself down with deep breaths. She focused on the flow of chi within herself and Ranma, and then Ku's surrounding them. She sensed the warm pulse of her chi that beat with Ranma's. The sensation gave her confidence, even as Ku's icy chi swirled around them tightly. "I got it," she said.

Ranma also focused on the three separate flows of chi. She concentrated on the shifting movement of Ku's black chi. It moved more like a living creature than a simple extension of energy. It also reacted like it was alive, and that's what gave Ranma an idea. "Here we go," she said. "Follow my lead."

Ranma released her hold on Akane and bent down on her knees. She drew upon her chi and let her aura surge with energy. As her aura flared to life again, the black smoke halted its spiral and seemed to look down on her curiously. Akane did the same, and together, their auras tore away at the surrounding darkness.

Seizing the initiative, Ranma stepped forward into a kick, and sent a chi blast up at the head of the black smoke. Akane felt the tug of Ranma's chi and followed its flow. She let it carry her body forward, and stepped forward a second behind Ranma and launched her own chi blast from her fist.

The black smoke retreated from the pair of chi blasts. Ranma's flew past it like a jet of water while Akane's burst forward into a fiery explosion where the smoke had once been. Ranma continued the flowing motion of her chi and directed it through her body into a combination of fluid strikes with Akane mirroring her. As they continued to assault the black smoke, their chi began to resonate together, and their blue auras turned to gold. Their blasts of energy became more vibrant, bursting with more power than before. Akane and Ranma felt each of their strikes pulsing like a wave through their arms and legs.

While the black smoke continued to dodge around the blasts of energy, its behavior became more erratic when the auras turned to gold. It retreated back much faster now, almost like a snapping snake, and was howling as the golden blasts burst against it. At the same time, Ku staggered where he stood, and held his head as if he was dazed.

Ku wondered what it was that was causing him to feel dazed all of a sudden, but he knew it had something to do with Ranma and Akane working together. Something about their bond was affecting his own with his black chi. He watched them battling against it with their combined golden aura. If their power could disrupt him in this way, he was sure he could do the same in return.

Forcing himself to focus, Ku joined his black chi and sent a massive surge of green energy arching downwards between Ranma and Akane. The green blast of chi sliced between them and slammed into the ground, creating a wave of mud.

The two girls had to jump in different directions to avoid the blast, and the affect was instant. With the flow of their energies disrupted, Ranma and Akane's auras fluctuated violently and split, shifted back to blue.

Ku sensed the aura shift back and immediately went for Akane. He glided in front of her and threw a combination of powerful strikes with his aura focused into his hands.

Akane was still recovering from being abruptly separated from her link with Ranma when she saw Ku attacking her. She raised her arms into a defensive stance, but lacked proper footing. Each of Ku's blows sent her staggering back further, and hurt more than anything she'd felt before. Ku's aura cut into her with each hit. It wasn't until she recovered her footing when she was able to summon her aura again. When she did, she met each blow with a chi powered block, and repelled Ku's energy.

Ranma watched Akane getting pushed back by Ku in a daze. When she'd been split from Akane so suddenly, it felt like her chi was being torn in half, and after expending so much energy, it dropped her to her knees momentarily. "Akane!" she called out.

Ranma slowly got to her feet and rushed to Akane's aid. She attacked Ku from behind, forcing him to block and dodge their combined combinations from both sides. Ku proved to be more than skilled enough to handle the assault, blocking each hit decisively before vanishing away.

Ranma and Akane immediately turned their backs to each other to watch in all directions. Ranma turned just in time to see the black smoke coming at them. She immediately hooked her arm with Akane's, completely surprising her. "Coming over!" she grunted.

Akane felt Ranma pushing her weight on her, and understood what she meant. She bent over, allowing Ranma to flip backwards over her. When she did, Ranma sent up an arc of chi from her feet that repelled the black smoke.

When Ranma landed, Akane saw Ku appear right behind her. "Look out!" she shouted.

Ranma felt Ku as Akane warned her. She let her instincts guide her, and twisted at her waist while throwing the back of her fist towards the attack she felt coming. Her hand impacted with Ku's fist, causing an explosion of energy between their auras.

Akane stepped back as Ranma clashed with Ku. She didn't want to be an obstacle for Ranma's movements. While Ranma fought with Ku, Akane noticed the black chi's spiral was tightening around them. She tried to sense for the head of the black energy, but couldn't make it out in the giant spiraling flow. It wasn't until she saw Ku jump backwards when she finally spotted it right behind him.

As Ku flew back, the black smoke flew through him and out towards Ranma, but Akane was already countering it with her own attack. As the smoke dove for Ranma, Akane stepped past her and delivered an uppercut that launched a fiery blast of blue energy from her fist. The attack was timed perfectly, and caught the smoke with the full brunt of the attack, almost as if her fist itself had struck it.

"Nice one," Ranma said.

Akane didn't say anything, but felt her pride blossom at Ranma's praise. She was starting to feel confident that they could win this fight.

The black smoke retreated from around Ranma and Akane after being struck by the blast of energy. It formed into a tight ball in the air before bursting into a small pocket of smoke with Ku in its center.

Ku fell out of the smoke and landed in a crouch with the black chi floating around him. He performed a chain of movements, ending in a ready stance with the chi circling him tightly, and then charged for the two girls again.

Ranma stepped past Akane and met Ku's charge. She blocked and parried Ku's attacks, but couldn't return any counters, because she was forced to also avoid the black chi that was keeping to the ninja tightly, and attacking like a fifth limb. This continued until she hopped over a sweep kick, and kicked a chi blast that threw the black chi back away from Ku.

As Ranma landed, Ku attacked. While they continued to fight, the black smoke recovered and went for Akane. Akane tensed as the numbness moved towards her. She attacked it, just as before, but this time the smoke met her blast head on. Akane's chi blast exploded against the black smoke, halting it momentarily, but as the explosion ended, the smoke resumed its charge. Akane could do nothing as the smoke slammed into her. It wrapped itself around her quickly and lifted her into the air.

"Ranma!" Akane cried. She struggled against the black smoke. Its grip on her was tight, and its icy power felt like blades cutting against her skin. As it crushed her, the black chi seemed to suffocate her own, making her feel a strange numbness spreading .

Ranma glanced back between attacks to see Akane being held prisoner by the black smoke overhead. "Akane!" she shouted.

Ranma quickly delivered a few planned attacks to move around Ku. Once she managed to move to his other side, she slammed her fist into the ground and created an eruption of blue energy that gave her a second to leapt away from Ku and towards Akane. As she went spinning towards Akane, Ranma charged her aura into her right leg and delivered a flying kick that sent chi slashing through the black smoke. The smoke fell apart as the blue chi tore through it, releasing Akane. Ranma caught her as they fell together and landed gracefully on her feet.

"Are you okay?" Ranma asked.

"Yeah," Akane said weakly. The black chi had left her body feeling empty.

Ranma gave Akane a disbelieving look. "Are you sure?"

"I… don't know," Akane admitted. "My body feels strange."

"You two are stubborn," Ku suddenly said from behind them.

Ranma continued to support Akane as she turned to face Ku.

Ku was standing with his arms relaxed at his sides and his black chi looming over him. "I think this has gone on long enough," he said. "It's time to show you your fate."

The black chi fell onto Ku and entered his body. It filled him completely before spreading around him like a second skin alit with black fire. Ku now stood like a warrior made of shadow with an aura of black flames and glowing green eyes.

Ranma felt Ku chi flair intensely from the transformation. While she had nothing to go on, she suspected this may be the demon's true form. "Akane, can you stand?" she asked.

Akane felt her body returning back to normal and nodded. "Yeah, I think I'm getting back to normal," she said.

"Good, because I have no idea what's coming now," Ranma said. She looked at her seriously. "I don't want you getting hurt, so please, try and stay safe."

Akane didn't like the tone, or the words Ranma was using. It sounded too much like someone heading to their doom, and not wanting anyone to go down with them. "Ranma, what are you saying?" she asked.

Before Ranma could answer, Ku attacked. He thrust his hands forward, and his shadow stretched forward until reaching where Ranma and Akane were standing. Ranma remembered the last time something like this had happened, and quickly leapt out of the way with Akane in her arms.

From Ku's shadow, dozens of spikes of black chi ripped upward through the ground, just barely missing Ranma and Akane. As Ranma landed, the spikes vanished back into the ground, and Ku's shadow retreated back to him. When it did, he sank into it, becoming a small pool of black smoke. The smoke glided along the ground to Ranma, and Ku arose from it.

"Oh damn," Ranma cursed as she jumped back.

Ku attacked by slashing at Ranma with his right hand. As he did so, the black chi stretched around his arm, creating a giant clawed hand. The clawed hand of black chi slashed right through Ranma and Akane, sending pain shooting through them both. Both of them cried loudly as the pain sliced through their bodies. Neither of them had felt anything like before. It was like blades had torn through their bodies. Their muscles burned like they were on fire.

Ranma fell to the ground, but still held Akane protectively. She forced her eyes open to see Ku launching his arms forward, and sending two giant streams of black chi for them. She quickly pushed Akane aside. "Get out of here!" she shouted before taking both blasts in her torso.

This time, as the two black streams of chi flew through Ranma's body, it almost felt like she was falling out of it. The air felt like it was being sucked out of her lungs, and with it her senses. Her ears were ringing, and her body felt almost completely numb. She only knew she'd fallen to her knees because of the faintest vibration in her head while her point of view lowered slightly. As Ku summoned the chi back to him, it felt like two blades were being pulled out of her, and her senses quickly came back, allowing her to feel the pain entirely.

"Ranma!" Akane cried. She watched Ranma take both hits, one for her. It reminded her too much of the last time Ranma had fought Ku.

"A-Akane," Ranma groaned from where she was on her hands and knees. "Get out of here."

"No way!" Akane said sternly. "I can't leave you like this!"

Ranma struggled to get to her feet. She looked like she was running on empty. "Just listen to me, for once," she said. "I just want you to be safe."

"And I want you to be safe too!" Akane said back.

Ranma felt a pain in her chest at Akane's words. She wished she could be safe. She wished she didn't have to worry about all the chaos that she was at the center of. She wished she could just go on with life without trouble coming for her, even when she did nothing to attract it. That simply was not to be, it seemed. Her life was constantly met with increasing challenges. Through it all, she only wanted one thing, for Akane to be safe from it.

"Please, just go," Ranma pleaded. Her aura sparked back to life as she became determined to protect Akane from this threat. "It's after me only," she said, and ran forward at Ku.

"Ranma, no!" Akane cried.

Ranma attacked Ku with a blast from her aura. The ninja sank into his shadow to avoid the attack and glided underneath Ranma. She quickly leapt high into the air as the black chi came bursting out of the ground as a massive beast's head with a fanged maw.

Ranma charged her chi into her hands as the fanged maw surrounded her and threw a blast from both palms down into its throat. The blue energy beam ripped through the black head, but it simply fell back to the ground and reformed itself into the ninja.

Ku glided back from where Ranma's chi blast exploded into the ground. The rest of the black chi regrouped into his shadow as Ranma landed in the crater her chi blast had created.

Ku bent both of his arms back, and his shadow stretched back behind him. He stepped forward and thrust his right hand into the air, causing his shadow to rise up behind him into a pillar. With a simple downward slashing motion, he sent it arcing over him at Ranma.

Ranma countered the black chi with a chi blast. It splashed against the black chi, stopping it in mid-air. Ku pulled it back and whipped it back at Ranma, whom countered it with another chi blast from a spinning backhand.

Ranma's blue aura lashed out and clashed against Ku's living shadow. While it continued to hold back Ku's attacks, Ranma was clearly tiring, and each blast of her chi crashed against Ku's attacks like water against solid rock, no longer able to cut through it like before. As such, Ku's attacks began to push further in with each strike, until finally throwing her back off her feet.

Ranma didn't know if it was Ku's black chi, or the impact against her that made her feel so dazed. As she lay on the ground, all she wanted to do was close her eyes and rest. Her body had reached its limit long ago, and her chi reserves were extinguished. Her mind began to haze as the battle's damage began to take hold.

Akane dropped to her knees next to Ranma and held her by her shoulders. "Ranma, get up!" she pleaded loudly.

Ranma groaned and turned to look at Akane. She tried to get up, but her body felt like lead. "Akane," she said weakly.

Akane stood up and stood between Ranma and Ku. She glared at the shadow cloaked warrior defiantly and ignited her aura with everything she had.

Ku laughed at Akane's defiance and summoned a massive serpent of black chi from his shadow. He sent the serpent charging forward and slammed it into Akane head first.

Akane braced herself for the attack with her arms crossed in front of her face. When the serpent slammed into her she pushed against it with all of her strength, summoning every drop of chi she could for her aura. The serpent exploded against her aura and flew past her like a passing wind around her and Ranma.

Akane struggled to hold her ground. The black chi continued to rampage against her aura, hitting her with the force of what felt like a tornado. It pushed against her relentlessly, and she fought back even harder. She held on as long as she could, but it felt like the black chi was beginning to crush her, and she realized her aura was starting to weaken. Before long, their struggle reached the tipping point, and Akane's aura vanished as the black chi overwhelmed her.

Akane cried out as the black chi passed through her, sending vicious pain ripping through her whole body. Her whole existence was pain, and each second felt like an eternity. She wanted nothing more than to pass out, but no such mercy was given to her.

Ku felt Akane's agony spreading through his black chi and relished it. He breathed in her suffering like it was a sweet scent and summoned his chi back to him, leaving her on her hands and knees in defeat. "Exquisite," he said with an evil grin.

Ranma had managed to get to her feet at that point, and stumbled forward to Akane. She fell with her arm over her shoulder and her other hand on top of Akane's. She clenched it tightly, wishing desperately for something to come to her. She needed just one hint of inspiration.

Akane clenched Ranma's fingers between hers. _This is it,_ she thought. _We both gave everything we had._

Ku looked at the two girls huddled together with a smile hidden behind his shadowy cloak. Everything turned out better than he had ever thought they would. "Your suffering will end soon," he said. His black chi spread from his body into a massive cloud above him. It roared loudly and took on the form of a giant wolf, standing over twenty feet tall.

As the wolf took shape from the black chi, the ninja fell to the ground limply. Ku now stood before them in its true demonic form. Its body of black chi glowed with the same green aura it used when inside of its human host. "Now, despair in your deaths!" a low, deep voice bellowed from the wolf.

The wolf howled and took a step forward, but halted when a giant glowing panda blocked its path. Genma stood before the wolf channeling his aura spirit. He held up a sign while glaring at the wolf and baring his fang. It read 'If you want my son, you'll have to get through me first!'

Ranma looked up at her father's aura spirit in wonder. "Old man," she said in awe.

The wolf bared its black fangs and pounced on Genma's aura spirit. The giant panda caught the wolf and slashed and clawed against its body.

Genma, standing beneath his aura spirit guided it as he shadow boxed. He felt ever claw and bite that his aura spirit was hit with, but fought back without pause.

Soun arrived next to Genma and summoned his own aura spirit. His purple demonic spirit latched onto the wolf from behind, and held it while Genma's spirit bit its neck.

"I won't let you hurt my daughter any further!" Soun declared.

Ku gnashed its fangs at Soun's aura spirit and threw it off. With a angry roar, it intensified its green aura and blew Genma's spirit back. "Your defiance is futile," the wolf growled. "Your power, as great as it is, cannot match me! Your courage will die with your failure. Your confidence will know defeat. Your happiness will vanish in fear. There is nothing you possess that doesn't have an end."

Genma and Soun hesitated at the demon's words, but quickly recovered. Their martial arts training had taught them to expect any taunts, and to shrug them off to maintain focus. They resumed the fight with the demon, attacking together with their aura spirits.

Ku merely laughed at the sight of them attacking it again and met them with its claws and fangs.

Ranma continued to think desperately for some kind of idea as her father and Soun fought Ku's true form. She couldn't let this happen to Akane. As long as she drew breath, she would fight. Until she died, she wouldn't surrender. She would protect Akane to the bitter end.

Those were the only thoughts in her mind as everything began to sink in. Ranma wasn't afraid to die. She had always been willing to lay down her life for the art, and Akane was more important than even that. In the end, Akane was all that mattered to her. She looked forward with determination filling her eyes again as Ku blasted Genma and Soun with green chi from its mouth.

Genma and Soun both cried out as their aura spirits were defeated by Ku. They collapsed from exhaustion and stared hopelessly at the giant wolf while it walked over them.

Ranma saw Ku coming. She clenched Akane's hand and felt her breathing against her chest. She focused on her singular determination, and tapped the final spark that laid deep in her center. It grew until it filled her whole body with energy and gave her the strength she'd lost just moments before.

Akane felt Ranma's chi flowing back to life above her. She saw the hand that was gripping hers begin to glow brightly. She wondered where Ranma could draw so much strength after so much and turned to look at her. "Ranma?"

Ranma's eyes glowed as brightly as her aura. She let the spark of her existence continue to grow, even as it strained to break free from her body. The ground beneath her began to shake as her chi overflowed. She took one look at Ku's demonic form and the spark of her existence explode from her body.

Ranma's chi exploded into an intense ball of blue light. It lifted Ranma and Akane into the air as it stretched skyward. A long fanged maw roared as Ranma's aura spirit took shape. The blue light solidified into a long serpent body with clawed arms covered with scales. Its head grew horns and a mane of flowing hair.

Akane looked at the massive serpent that held her in its right hand. She recognized its form immediately and gasped in awe. Ranma's aura spirit was a Chinese dragon.

Ranma floated in the chest of the dragon as they looked down at Ku. With a simple thought, the dragon moved as she willed, and lowered its head and arms down. The dragon let Akane down to the ground and moved in front of her. It glared at Ku and growled in challenge.

Ku's eyes widened at the sight of Ranma's aura spirit. Never before had it seen such a powerful creature answer a human's will. It then squinted and smiled. Even power such as this was limited by a mortal being. It returned the growl in kind and started to circle the dragon slowly, watching its prey.

Ranma turned to watch Ku closely. All the while, her dragon snaked around in the air, keeping itself between the wolf and Akane.

Ku saw how the dragon moved and growled in amusement. "So predictable," it said. It eyed Akane with hunger in its eyes. Ranma's weakness would be his undoing.

Ku roared and charged at Akane. Ranma's dragon twisted around and rammed its head into Ku's. It threw the wolf back and its head like a snake, snapping its jaws.

Akane stood with her hand to her heart as Ranma's dragon fought with Ku. In the countless battles she'd watched Ranma fight, he was always amazing her in a new way. Every enemy was more powerful than the last, and Ranma always met each one with more power than before. It scared her how Ranma had to face such dangers It took her breath away how powerful he was.

Ranma said nothing as she guided her spirit against Ku. She felt the dragon's body as if it was her own, and moved it as naturally. As Ku attacked, her instincts moved her dragon's body to avoid the wolf's fangs and claws and counter with its own in one fluid motion.

Ku fought tooth and nail with the dragon in a feral rage. They traded bites and scratches while trampling the ground around Akane. Ku tried to move in on the girl several times, but Ranma's dragon intercepted every attempt.

Akane looked away every time Ku found an opening and attempted to strike her. Ranma's dragon was quick to defend whenever that happened, either slamming against the wolf or snatching her away from its jaws. Akane allowed herself to be swept into the air and lowered back to the ground without protest. She wanted to stop being a distraction, but had no idea if it was better to run or stay in one spot as Ranma's dragon fought to protect her.

Ku continued to pressure Ranma to protect Akane. It attacked relentlessly with its fangs, leaping after her every time the dragon pulled her back. If the dragon collided with it instead, it slashed its claws around the serpent's body for the girl.

Ranma didn't understand why the demon was after Akane so adamantly, but she wasn't about to stop and ask questions. She guarded Akane with an unbreakable focus. The demon would not touch her.

Ku leapt back from the dragon after butting heads with it. It circled the blue serpent with its head low, glaring at it closely. It's body was almost entirely low to the ground now, forming an impenetrable defense around Akane. The time to strike was now.

Ranma turned to keep her eyes on Ku, and the dragon's head moved with her. The wolf skulked slowly, but made no move on them. Instinctively, she coiled her dragon around Akane a little tighter to prepare for the next attack.

Ku saw the dragon twist its body tightly as it reached where its tail was laying. Seeing its opportunity, it attacked, causing the dragon to react. As Ku bore its fangs down, the dragon swung its tail at it while raising its head. Ku slipped under the swinging tail and then leapt into the air, right for Ranma, whom had been expecting an attack on Akane, not herself.

Ranma tried to jump back from the wolf as its jaws opened around her. Her dragon snapped back just in time, and Ranma took advantage of their positioning to coil it around the wolf.

The blue dragon wrapped its long body around the wolf like a snake and forced it to the ground. The wolf growled and struggled against the dragon, but the serpent only tightened its grip in reply.

Ranma grit her teeth and urged the dragon to twist around the wolf harder. She felt the demon's icy aura cutting into her body as she stared right into its eyes.

Ku glared at Ranma and continued to struggle against the dragon's crushing hold. It felt Ranma's pain from its aura and gave a toothy smile. "You're weakening," it said with obvious amusement.

The demonic wolf suddenly howled towards the sky, and began to glow brighter than before. The green aura bled through the dragon, and it roared in pain as Ranma cried out.

Ranma shut her eyes tightly and nearly screamed. It felt like daggers were piercing her everywhere. Her mind was overtaken by the excruciating pain, and the dragon unraveled around the wolf, setting it free.

Ku continued to howl even after it was free. Its aura grew larger and larger, forcing the dragon back, away from the pain.

Akane had already retreated when Ranma's dragon had ensnared the wolf, so she was safely out of range from the wolf's aura. She watched in horror as the dragon and Ranma cried in agony. "Ranma!" she shouted.

Ranma looked at where Akane was calling out from. She fought past the pain and cleared her mind. She needed to use everything she had to get through that aura, and strike Ku. There was no other way. "Akane, get back!" she yelled. "Get everyone out of here!"

Akane did as she was told. She ran to where her father and Genma were just now getting to their feet and lead them away from where Ku was howling. Mousse and Shampoo followed close behind, and together, they made their way to where Happosai and Cologne were still laying unconscious.

Ranma saw everyone retreat to safety and cleared her mind. She summoned everything she had left, and produced a massive aura around her dragon spirit.

The blue dragon illuminated the stormy skies as it flew high above Ku. It roared over the thunder and formed itself into a tight ball with Ranma at its center.

Ku stopped howling and looked up at Ranma within her dragon. It sensed the immense power of Ranma's aura and laughed. "Yes, come and get me," it taunted her.

Ranma took a deep breath through her nose and felt all of the power flowing through her body and into her aura spirit. She didn't know how powerful it would be in her female form, but she would give it everything she had. "This is it," she told herself. She bent back on her knees and crossed her arms over her chest, preparing her attack.

Ku hunched down on all fours, preparing its own attack. As it raised its head and howled, its aura was absorbed into its throat. The green energy formed into a ball that glowed through the black wolf's throat. It ended its howl, and opened its mouth, launching a massive chi blast, larger than any Ranma had seen before.

Ranma saw Ku's move, and made hers. She launched herself down, right for the chi blast with her dragon spiraling around her. "Tenryū seishinbakudan!" she shouted.

Together, Ranma and her dragon became a massive pillar of blue light with flames spiraling around it. They collided with Ku's chi blast, and tore through it. Ranma squinted against the green light as she blasted through it. She saw Ku's shadowy figure through the light, and pulled back her fist. She summoned all of the energy from her attack into the fist as her dragon fell upon the wolf and brought it slamming down onto its head.

Ranma's fist and her dragon exploded into Ku. The black wolf roared against the attack even as it disintegrated around Ranma. It's body became formless black chi that surrounded Ranma and passed through her body before everything was consumed in blue light.

Akane and the others all shielded their eyes as Ranma's attack exploded on the field. Her Tenryū seishinbakudan was more powerful than even Ryoga's perfect shishi hokodan. It cracked the earth well beyond the explosion and caused the ground to shake violently while the shockwave blew mud and rain in all directions. Everyone was knocked off their feet and blown back from the explosion.

When the ground stopped shaking, and the sky dimmed, Akane and the others all climbed to their feet. They were all covered with bud, grass, and small pebbles.

The air was thick with dust from Ranma's attack, and it took a moment to clear. When it did, everyone saw a massive smoking crater where the soccer field had once been with Ranma at its center, fist firmly planted to the earth.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Tenryū seishinbakudan = Heaven dragon spirit bomb.

And I'm finally back home from holiday travels. Time to get back on the 'ol horse, ey? Finally, I got to write about Ranma's aura spirit, and I'm sure some of you could have guessed at its form before this chapter. It seems fitting that it be a Chinese dragon. I hope to get back into a more regular update schedule soon, but we'll see how things go. The holiday travels have made me lazy.

**AliceTheBookGirl:** You set the bar high. Hope I can finish the story as strongly as its gone so far. I have indeed seen Dragon Ball Z fights. It was the first anime I watched as a kid, long before it ever began circulation in America. The whole, three episodes for Goku to turn super saiyan for the first time pretty much explains that. Imagine if Ranma unleashing his aura spirit took three chapters of him grunting... haha!

**linkgold64:** Was Ranma's aura spirit form worth the wait? Should I tease you and say this isn't yet its final form? Guess I just did!

**Tyeren:** Thank you. It's always nice to see a review from someone new. I try to make the fights good, and am glad you enjoyed it so much.

**Compucles:** My idea for the aura battles was to make it similar to firebending in a way, so your spot on with that.

**Tristan:** Thank you. Glad you like how its developing.

**kimiwoashiteru18:** I always found it weird how Akane never seemed to fight, or even get better as a martial artist in the manga, except for the couple of instances when she had some special power. I decided it was time she got some real work in.

**poseidon's son:** Well, as you can see, it wasn't smooth sailing for them working together this time. It's true, Ranma never wants Akane interfering in his man-to-man fights, but this isn't such a case. As such, I decided to make him a bit more lenient, although still stubborn at his core. As for the nekoken, there's no evidence that it has limitless chi. It's just a very powerful chi based fighting technique.

**Richard Ryley:** Yes, Ranma certainly does have an ego that he tries to maintain. I agree that it has something to do with wanting to be worthy in Akane's eyes. His skill in martial arts is his best "selling point" so to speak, so being the best is the only thing that's acceptable to him.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	21. Possession

Ranma, in the heart of the crater she had just made, remained still. The final seconds of her attack colliding with Ku had been an eternity of pain that she was trying to understand. Her mind picked on every detail of Ku's attack, and her own.

Ku's blast had felt like a raging river of ice cold water when she tore through it with her own. She had been blinded by the intense light of their auras exploding around her. Ranma remembered focusing through the pain that covered her body as she shot down through that blast. She remembered seeing Ku's shadowy figure through the light and striking it in the head with everything channeling into her fist.

That moment in time is what Ranma replayed in her mind as the dust began to fall back down around her. She had struck Ku, and the demon had lost its form around her. The explosion of her chi blast blew apart the now formless mass of chi in all directions. Ranma had felt victory was in her grasp, but something happened that made her uncertain.

Ranma thought about the explosion of her chi attack against the earth. Her dragon had spiraled around her body and into Ku's formless chi. It roared as it rammed through, the black chi burning against its body.

The formless chi remained within the outer edge of the explosion, slowly pressing through it, and the dragon. Like smoke slipping through cracks, the chi passed through the dragon and Ranma felt it move into her own body, spreading the cold, numb sensation of death. Her dragon lost its own form when that happened, melting into the dissipating light of the explosion.

As Ranma's chi blast had ended, the formless chi finished passing through her. Now it hung around her with the smoke of the scorched earth, nearly disguised, but Ranma knew better. She could feel the numbness surrounding her like impending doom. She struggled against the truth trying to break through. She clung to her pride, her confidence, and her hope, but reality refused them all. The darkness fell upon her. Her attack had failed.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter XXI: Possession**

* * *

Kasumi handed a fresh cup of tea to Nodoka and Nabiki as the three of them continued to wait silently. Over an hour had passed, and night had now fallen upon Nerima. The storm that passed through had made them all feel uneasy, although they all hid it from each other. The tension in the family room was thick, and none of them wanted to be the one to shatter it.

Nodoka accepted the tea with an appreciative smile, but did not break the nervous silence. It was strange to sit and wait the way they were. In the past, they had all gone through their usual daily routines whenever Ranma got into any sort of trouble. Even when he and Akane were in China facing, to them at the time, unknown dangers, they did not worry this way.

To say the least, Nodoka was very troubled. She didn't have the experience with Ranma's battles neither Kasumi nor Nabiki had, so to see them like this didn't help her own situation.

Kasumi remained composed as she sat across the table from Nodoka. She couldn't imagine what it was like for her as Ranma's mother. She already felt herself being overcome with worry, and Ranma was only her future brother-in-law, although she did care for him dearly.

Nabiki let out a quiet sigh as she looked back and forth between the two older women. It wasn't like her to worry like this, but even she could see what kind of threat Ku was. What troubled her though, was the timing of everything. Things had been progressing so well, all things considered, and now a wrench had been thrown into the gears. Ku had brought reality crashing down on the comfortable little slice of life they'd all been living.

Nabiki didn't like it when unexpected turns happened such as this. She was a calculating woman, and she didn't like the outcome of such things. She was depending on Ranma's existence as the wild card to put things right.

Nodoka looked over at Nabiki when she heard her sigh. She'd never known Nabiki to lose her cool, but here she was, looking as worried as she felt. She turned her gaze back to Kasumi, the figurative matriarch of the Tendo household. The elder daughter looked more together than she or Nabiki looked. She carried herself well.

Nodoka considered the older daughter closely and decided it was time to end the silence. "Kasumi, dear," she said.

Kasumi looked up from her cup of tea. "Yes, Auntie Saotome?"

Nodoka spoke as calmly as she could, not wanting to break down. "Is it... always like this when Ranma is facing battle?" she asked.

Kasumi was surprised by the question. She thought about it, and decided there were times when things had been similar to now. "I guess you could say that," she admitted.

Nodoka looked at her with pleading eyes. "How do you get through it?"

Kasumi felt her compassion for Nodoka's situation. The truth was, she didn't have too much trouble getting through these kinds of situations. Akane was the one that spent her time worried, and she played the part of the supportive mother figure. "To be honest, Akane's the one that spends her time worrying," she said. "We've usually just been her support."

Nodoka wasn't surprised to hear that. She had expected Akane to be that way. Anyone worthy of her son should be so devoted. "I see," she said with a weak, but sincere smile. She supposed this was why Kasumi was so collected at the moment.

Kasumi returned the smile with the best one she could manage. "Don't worry, Auntie," she said as she raised her cup. "I'm sure Ranma will be just fine," she finished and took a sip from her cup. She placed the cup on the table and stiffened when it cracked in her hands.

Everyone looked at Kasumi's cup to see a crack running along its side and tea leaking from it. An unsettling chill ran down all of their spines as they stared at the tea pooling on the table.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

The storm that blanketed Nerima with rain and lightning came to an end as the dust around Ranma cleared. Akane and the others all stood and stared at Ranma crouched in the crater she had made with her attack. For a moment, there was complete silence as everyone took in what had just happened. The silence was finally broken when panda Genma growled and raised a sign, 'He did it!'

Soun was next to come to his senses and cheered. "The heir to the anything goes school is triumphant!" he yelled with a fist raised.

Shampoo meowed happily while Mousse quacked indifferently, leaving Akane as the only person, besides Ranma, to say anything.

Akane stepped to the edge of the crater and looked down at Ranma. Her fiancé had yet to move, or say anything, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Ranma was for sure exhausted, so maybe she just needed a moment to catch her breath, Akane thought. "Ranma!" she called out to her.

Ranma didn't move. She couldn't move. Her body was completely numb, and not from exhaustion. Something was wrong, and Ranma knew it as she tried to will her body to get up, but could do nothing more than cause it to shake. She had just realized her failure, and was trying desperately to regain her wits, and continue the fight.

Akane saw Ranma struggling and dropped down into the crater. She walked towards her slowly with a concerned look. "Ranma?" she asked.

Ranma managed to look up at Akane with fear stricken eyes. She suddenly realized that the smoke in the crater was slowly blowing towards her and seeping into her body. "A-Akane, get back," she gasped.

Akane stopped walking towards Ranma, but didn't retreat. "What's wrong?" she asked, now sounding nervous. Like Ranma, she had seen the surrounding smoke suddenly moving towards Ranma.

Ranma felt the smoke enter her like ice water in her veins. She clenched the dirt under her hands tightly to try to maintain control, but ever so slowly, she felt consciousness being choked from her. In the back of her mind, she began to hear an evil laugh.

Akane watched as Ranma struggled against an unseen foe. She didn't know what was happening, or what to do. "Ranma, what's happening?" she asked desperately.

Ranma struggled to breathe as the smoke filled her. Her body spasmed and convulsed from the indescribable pain that moved through her veins and pounded in her head. Her vision began to blur, and the edges began to be covered by blackness.

"Ranma!" Akane cried. She didn't like what she was seeing.

Ranma could barely hear Akane while she struggled against what was happening to her body. "Akane, get out of here," she said.

"No way!" Akane protested. "How could I leave you like this?"

Ranma looked to where Akane's voice was coming from. Through her blurred vision, all she could see was a spot of white against the darkness. "Akane," she pleaded.

Akane put her hand to her mouth and stepped back when she saw Ranma's eyes. They were completely black, and devoid of life as they looked pleadingly at her. "Ranma!" she yelled.

Akane ran to Ranma and reached for her with her hand. She grabbed Ranma's shoulder and hissed in pain before pulling her hand back. Touching Ranma's body had felt like having Ku's black chi cutting through her again.

Akane suddenly realized what was happening, and panicked. "Ranma, you have to fight it!"

Ranma could barely hear Akane as a loud ringing pierced through her ears. Her vision was nearly completely black now, and her body felt heavy with numbness. She tried to focus enough to conjure her aura, hoping it would shield her from this intrusion. She felt her heart pounding, and felt for her center pulsing with it. She found it, but it wasn't pulsing in rhythm with her heart. It was erratic, and lashing out in all directions as the blackness crept in from all directions.

Ranma tried to gain control of her center as it darted in every direction against the consuming darkness. The light of her soul lashed out at the invader, fighting as desperately as Ranma had fought Ku. It swirled around a small golden light, keeping the darkness away from it at all costs. Ranma tried again to aid it, to focus it, but she couldn't reach it through the darkness.

Akane watched Ranma and saw the same struggle between her blue aura and the invading blackness when she viewed the flow of chi in her mind's eye. She got a sense of panic as the blue stream swirled violently in the expanse of darkness. She felt compelled to help, and tried to reach for Ranma again, despite the pain she knew it would bring her. "Ranma, hang on!" she begged her.

Ranma felt Akane's hand close to her again and reacted in a way she didn't expect. Her instincts considered Akane's presence, and the invader within Ranma's body. The light of her soul also sensed these things, and suddenly exploded forth, piercing through the darkness.

Akane felt a rush of adrenaline when she saw Ranma glowing blue. She gave a faint smile of confidence that Ranma was winning her internal struggle, but was soon shown how wrong she was.

Ranma was not in control of her aura, and she knew it. She couldn't see anything anymore, but she could still feel Akane's chi, and her own. She nearly suffocated from shock when her aura lifted Akane and threw her back.

Akane yelped when Ranma's aura suddenly threw her back. She fell backwards when she landed and looked back at Ranma with confused eyes. "What are you doing?" she asked. She couldn't believe that Ranma would push her away.

Ranma didn't understand either. She didn't understand why her aura had behaved in such a way. "I don't," Ranma couldn't finish as pain shot through her chest and forced what little air there was out of her lungs. In her mind's eye, she saw her chi retreating from the darkness into a tight ball, returning to the tiny speck that represented her existence. This left her felling completely hollow, and she dropped to her knees limply as Akane cried out to her.

"Ranma!" Akane cried. She saw the redhead lurch in pain and go limp suddenly and couldn't hold it in anymore. She was shouting at the top of her lungs and attempted to run to Ranma, but found that she was being held back.

"Akane, wait!" Soun yelled as he held her back. He had seen the way Ranma's aura had thrown her back, and didn't want her going anywhere near him at the moment.

"Let me go!" she yelled.

"No! I can't let you get near him!" Soun insisted. "We don't know what's happening!"

Akane tried to break free, but found that her father's grip was too much for her battle worn muscles. She stared helplessly at Ranma kneeling on the ground. "Please, let me go," she begged. "We can't... I can't let this happen."

Soun would have normally been overjoyed to let his daughter go to Ranma's aid, but his instincts wouldn't allow it. He didn't like abandoning Ranma to fight whatever it was within him alone, but he couldn't let his daughter get hurt too. "I'm sorry, but I can't," he said, and firmed his grip.

Akane felt like crying, but held back her tears. She wouldn't cry, because that meant giving up. She wouldn't give up. She gazed at Ranma and did the only thing she could. She called out to him constantly.

Akane's voice was now a far away echo to Ranma as she fell down to her hands and knees. The darkness that covered her eyes gave way to a blinding light, and Ranma felt like she was floating.

"What is this?" Ranma asked, finding she was able to speak easily again. She looked around her surroundings, but could see nothing beyond the intense white light that flooded the space she was in. "Am I dead?" she asked out loud, suddenly worried about her situation. She then concluded there was no way she was dead. If she was, she wouldn't be a girl, she'd be a boy. Her soul had to at least be her normal form, right? "Right?" she asked nervously, as if something would have been reading her thoughts and confirm for her.

No answer came from Ranma's surroundings, and she sighed. She played through what had happened before she got to this place, but her memories were fuzzy on the matter. She couldn't make sense of the pieces she could recall, and quickly gave up on the task.

A more intense light suddenly appeared above. Ranma looked up to see a golden sphere, shining like the sun. It radiated a calming warmth, and made her feel alive. She looked up at the light, feeling like it was calling to her.

"Hmm," Ranma hummed to herself and wondered what was going on. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be heading towards any strange lights right now. She'd heard the stories about going towards the light when one dies, and she had no intention of floating into her end. She had matters to settle, and someone to protect. With newfound resolve, Ranma clenched her fist, determined to return to Akane once more.

As Ranma thought of Akane, the golden sphere pulsed brightly above her. She looked at the golden sphere, and something was beginning to dawn on her, when everything suddenly began to shake violently. Ranma yelped and found herself falling away from the golden light. "What the hell!" she shouted.

Ranma continued to fall until she exited the expanse of white light. She now stared up at a giant sphere of blue light that was lashing out streams of energy in all directions as darkness tried to consume it.

Ranma could no longer feel her body as she fell from the blue sphere. There was no warmth, nor coldness. Her body felt completely hollow as it laid with her back on a surface of some kind.

The blue sphere lashed out with blasts of its light, snapping at the creeping darkness. A large extension of its aura reached downward and wrapped itself around Ranma before slowly lifting her back towards the sphere. The darkness would not allow it, and quit its attempts on the sphere to instead swallow Ranma from its grasp.

Ranma could do nothing as the darkness wrested her from the blue sphere's grip. Another blast of blue light tried to fend off the darkness, but it wouldn't surrender her to the light. In a sudden change of strategy, the sphere split open and used itself to reach down into the darkness for Ranma. The darkness fled from its intense light, revealing the chi's intended prize.

Ranma could feel the light upon her. As the solid strands of chi wrapped around her, she felt her body fill with life again. She allowed herself to be taken by the light, no longer fearing what it meant.

As the light carried Ranma, the darkness follow close behind. The light's actions to retrieve Ranma had caused it to open entirely, revealing a coiled strand of blue around the golden sphere high above. The darkness also sensed this change in the situation, and suddenly moved past Ranma and the strands carrying her. The darkness reach up with its own sickly strands, reaching for the golden sphere.

The coiled strand of blue light swirled around the golden sphere and protected it from the darkness. It fought frantically as the black abyss nearly surrounded it, threatening to consume it.

When Ranma saw all this, something in her chest pounded sharply. Her instincts went on edge, and she suddenly found the strands unravel around her. In an instant, the blue sphere shut itself around the golden light, repelling the darkness.

This act sealed the golden light safely, but abandoned Ranma. She was now sinking down into the darkness, watching the blue sphere shrink as it drifted away. The darkness consumed her, and the light became a tiny speck before she finally relented, and succumbed to unconsciousness.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Akane and the others all watched nervously as Ranma shook violently while on her hands and knees. She was grunting and hissing like an animal, or a man gone completely mad. To Akane, it was one of the most painful things she ever had to watch. She'd never seen Ranma so tortured before, and wished she could help him.

Ranma suddenly lurched up on her knees. Her head flew back and she opened her mouth as if to scream, but only the gurgling sound of a choked breath came out. The sound was horrifying to hear, like she was being strangled to death.

Akane couldn't stand it any longer and broke free from her father's grip. She meant to rush for Ranma, but only managed a couple steps before Soun had her again, and this time, Genma was helping him.

"Akane, no!" Soun yelled as he restrained her.

Genma had his arms wrapped around Akane's thighs, using his superior strength of his panda form to keep her immobile. He wanted to help Ranma, maybe even as much as Akane. He felt rage burning in the pit of his stomach at witnessing his son's plight, and every fatherly and martial artist instinct told him to act. When he saw Ranma's own aura swat away Akane, however, he knew they could do nothing.

Genma's training with Soun under Happosai had taught him much about chi, aura, and the true nature of a man. In the most desperate situations, once tapped, the aura spirit would protect itself, the life of the mortal body, at all costs. They could not reach Ranma now any better than when he was in the neko-ken, and this time, even Akane was kept away.

Genma held up a sign as he kept his grip on Akane, 'We cannot help him now.'

Akane read the sign and felt her anger burn hotter than she thought possible. "How can give up on your own son!" she yelled.

Genma flipped the sign around, 'I am not giving up on him!'

"Then let me go!" Akane demanded after reading the sign. "Let me help him!"

"Akane, please!" Soun pleaded with her. "Saotome and I know this is for the best! Ranma is on his own right now." Like Genma, Soun remembered what he had learned under Happosai, and understood that Ranma was a danger to anyone that close to him at the moment.

"Never!" Akane screamed and her aura exploded around her, breaking her free from Soun and Genma. She once again rushed towards Ranma, but was again denied when the black smoke swirled around the redhead and blew her back. She fell backwards and looked helplessly at the black chi that now protected Ranma from her interference.

The black chi completely entered Ranma's body, causing her to shake. She fell forward onto her hand and knees again, but made no sound. Slowly, her body began to change as it shook. Akane and the others all watched wide-eyed as Ranma, without any water, transformed back into his true male form.

When the transformation was complete, Ranma stood with his back turned to everyone. His shoulder shook as he started to laugh, but it didn't sound like Ranma at all. The laughter was evil, twisted, even though it had his voice.

"Ranma?" Akane called out questionably, hoping her fears were wrong.

Ranma stopped laughing and turned slowly. As his face came into view, Akane choke at the sight of his eyes. They were black, empty, just as the ninja's had been. They were also completely insane looking as he gave her a wicked smile. "Yes," he said, sounding pleased with himself. He raised his hand and produced a flaming fist of green chi. "Yes!"

"No," Akane uttered in disbelief.

"The time is now, Saotome!" Soun yelled from behind her.

Together, Soun and Genma charged at Ranma, now possessed by Ku. They attacked him with flurries of punches and kicks from different angles, hoping to trap him.

Ku easily dodged and blocked the pair of fighters. Ranma could have done so already, but Ku's power gave his body unnatural speed and strength beyond what was already superhuman. He humored their futile efforts for a moment before punching the ground and blowing them away with an eruption of green chi.

Soun and Genma both flipped in the air to land on their feet. Ku's power was already intimidating before, but in Ranma's body, it felt even more powerful.

"Saotome!" Soun yelled to his long time friend.

Genma looked over through the corner of his eye, unwilling to take too much of his attention away from their opponent.

"Hold nothing back," Soun said, and steeled himself. He was preparing to use techniques he'd not used in nearly seven years, since his wife passed away.

Genma nodded, and immediately vanished into the umi-sen ken.

Ku grinned as he faced Soun. The older man attacked, striking with surprising force. Ku blocked each blow, feeling like he was being struck by a mountain, rather than a man.

Soun channeled his chi into each punch as he fought Ku. He summoned the techniques that formed the foundation of his school, using them with mastery he'd never shown before.

Ku matched Soun's blows and countered when there was an opening. His fist went for Soun's chest, but was stopped by his stone-like grip on his arm.

Soun channeled his chi and threw Ku down with all of his might. He held him to the ground and didn't budge as Ku kicked his legs. He felt his confidence in his skills return at Ku's failure to break free. His school was based on a solid, immovable form, using one's chi to plant their feet to the ground. He would pay for it the next day, but for now, his legs were like steel against Ku's kicks.

Ku could sense the chi being pumped into Soun's legs and scowled. He could easily overcome such a feeble force, if only... Biting down his frustrations, Ku grabbed Soun's pinning arm by the wrist with his free hand and channeled his green aura around it. Soun released him as the biting cold bit into his arm, and Ku sent him flying with a mule kick.

Ku got to his feet and spoke in disgust. "Foolish mortal," he spat. "You would use new techniques now, after you've lost?"

Before anyone could answer, Genma struck with the blows of the white snake from behind. Ku grunted as the dozens of blows pummeled his back. He growled in anger and turned with a sharp backhand and sent his chi exploding into Genma's gut.

"Insolent whelp!" Ku snorted.

The two men were on Ku again, this time attacking together. Soun attacked the from the front while Genma continued to stealthily attack from the umi-sen ken. Ku grew tired of their attacks, however. He grabbed Genma out of the air as he tried to vanish and threw him into Soun. Soun didn't flinch as Genma slammed into him, but that proved to be their undoing, as Ku sent a one handed chi blast into them both.

Akane had watched the two men fight Ku, still frozen in shock. She couldn't believe that after everything, Ku had won, and taken Ranma's body for his own. She was at a loss over what to do. She couldn't see the good in fighting Ku in Ranma's body. She just stared forward, feeling hollow at the sight of Ranma defeating their fathers with such lethal force.

Shampoo and Mousse had also watched in relative shock to the events as they unfolded. They had recovered however, and were both trying desperately to wake up Cologne. They were inexperienced with demons and possession, but knew enough from their village legends to know they needed their Elder's wisdom and skill to have any chance.

Shampoo meowed madly and pawed Cologne's face while Mousse pecked at her arms. The old woman groaned, finally, and opened her eyes.

"What's happening?" she asked. She looked up to see Shampoo and Mousse staring back at her in their cursed forms. She sat up as her wits came back, and looked around her. The field they had been fighting in could hardly be called that anymore. It looked like a bomb had gone off. "Has son-in-law arrived?" she asked, figuring the damage had been done by Ranma.

Ku's evil laughter was Cologne's answer. The old woman looked over and her eyes went wide at the evil smile adorning Ranma's face. "Your 'son-in-law' did show up," he said mockingly. His possession of Ranma had given him knowledge of his new host's situation. In fact, Ku knew quite a bit about the boy in question now. "Too bad he's gone, now."

"Oh dear," Cologne said as she stood up. "It's as I feared." She looked deep into Ranma's body with her trained senses. Ku's black chi filled it and flowed like poison. She noted however, that it seemed to be struggling, and then saw that small speck of light where the heart was.

Cologne twirled her staff and perched herself onto it. Not all was lost, but the battle could not be won here. She needed to take some time to figure out what they could do. "So you were after son-in-law's body after all," she said.

Ku grinned in reply. "And such a fitting body it is," he said. "Through it, I now wield the power that defeated a god!"

"Perhaps you do," Cologne squinted. She knew all too well how powerful Ranma had become over the past year. That same power, however, she suspected was working against Ku, rather than with it. "But I don't think we can count son-in-law out just yet."

Ku rushed to where Cologne was standing and glared at her with menacing eyes. "There's nothing you can do, child," he said.

"Me? No," Cologne admitted. She was wise enough to know she could do nothing against such a powerful demon. As long as that light remained in his heart, however, she knew there was hope.

"So then," Ku said and smiled in victory.

Cologne hopped to the side, showing she would not try to stop him. Shampoo and Mousse both yowled in shock and protested. "Be silent," Cologne said with grim seriousness. "We can't do anything about this right now."

"Or ever," Ku added confidently.

Cologne said nothing more, and Shampoo and Mousse fell silent, although the cat hissed angrily as Ku walked past them.

Ku walked passed them only to be stopped by Akane. Akane stood before him in a stance that could barely be described as one ready to fight. Her body was limp, and her lips quivered as she tried her best to remain composed. She couldn't seem to focus, no matter how much she tried though.

Ku gazed into her uncertain eyes with amusement. "You'd best get out of my way, girl," he said.

Akane swallowed the lump in her throat and firmed her stance. "No way," she said.

"Akane," Cologne said in warning from behind Ku. She shook her head when Akane looked at her, hoping she'd do nothing foolish.

Akane didn't understand why Cologne was just standing by while this demon walked away with Ranma's body. She couldn't do the same. She refused to give up without a fight, despite her own exhaustion.

Ku waited a second for Akane to get out of his way, but when she did not, he only grinned. "You're making this all too easy," he said while getting into his own stance.

Akane gulped again when Ku prepared to fight her. Strange feelings bubbled in her stomach at the sight of him in Ranma's body, and her mind became clouded. Her confusion hadn't even begun to clear when Ku made his move.

Ku lunged in close, but didn't attack. He stopped in front of Akane, making her step back in surprise. She recovered before falling, but didn't counter in any way. She remained frozen while Ku looked down on her and smiled. "What's the matter, Akane?" he asked mockingly. "I thought you enjoyed hitting me?"

Akane bit down her retort. While she wanted to shout back, she knew it was simply a trick he was playing with her head. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of that.

"Akane!" Soun yelled and appeared in between her and Ku. "Stay away from my daughter, you monster!"

Ku lost his grin and turned it into a scowl. "Get out of my way," he said.

"You'll have to kill me first," Soun said seriously.

"If you insist." Ku's face was a mask of grim determination as he punched at Soun's chest. Soun blocked the attack and traded blows with him until he caught a sharp jab to his chest.

Soun froze as the blow struck him. He didn't flinch, due to the chi he used to reinforce his body, but that did nothing for the pain. Ku's fist had hit him right over his heart, and it remained planted there, scorching his flesh with his green aura.

Ku leaned in and smirked at Akane as he whispered into Soun's ear. "You brought this on yourself," he said so only he could hear him. He pressed his fist against his chest hard, causing Soun to flinch as sharp pain cut through his heart.

Soun was silent as Ku pulled his hand back. He fell down to his knees and clenched his chest before finally coughing violently.

"Daddy!" Akane cried.

Ku charged his right hand with his aura and looked down at Soun. "Any last words?" he asked.

Cologne suddenly flew in and struck Ku's charged hand. Ku stepped back in surprise and growled at the old woman. "That was a big mistake," he hissed.

"I would leave you in peace," Cologne said, "but if the other's insist, I cannot stand aside."

"This crater is going to be your grave," Ku declared. He lunged for Cologne, but missed as the old Amazon leapt away on her staff.

Akane tended to her father while Cologne lead Ku away. She placed one hand on his back and the other on his shoulder to help support his weight. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Soun continued to cough, but gave the hand on his shoulder a reassuring pat. "I'll be fine, my daughter," he said. He kept his mouth shut as he coughed again, keeping the blood he tasted a secret.

Akane didn't quite believe her father, but he did look relatively okay. She looked up to see how Cologne was doing to see the elder had taken the offensive against Ku.

Cologne sensed that Ku was not yet at full strength as she fought with him. While his movements were swift, and his blows powerful, they were much more human than before. He couldn't seem to conjure a full battle aura either, and this presented an opening for her. She took advantage of this apparent weakness, and assumed the offensive. If she could strike his pressure points and subdue him, perhaps they could have some time to deal with the demon within.

Ku retreated from Cologne as she assaulted him with her staff. She threw barrages of blows, using the kachu tenshin amaguriken in quick bursts to keep him on the defensive. He did not show any sign of worry as he blocked the attacks.

Cologne aimed her staff strikes carefully as she continued to chase Ku. She tried to strike his pressure points several times within each flurry, but while Ku may have been weak at the moment, he was no slower than before. His blocks and parries kept her staff from hitting their targets, forcing her to try harder and harder to increase her speed.

The two continued to dance around with Ku blocking and Cologne attacking. So determined was she to not let this chance slip away, she'd been completely blind to the obvious tactic that Ku was baiting her with. When Ku suddenly ducked under staff, Cologne finally saw the flow of chi they'd created around them. "Oh no," she mumbled.

Ku gave her a twisted smile and hit her with a mighty uppercut. "Hiryu shoten ha!" he yelled.

Cologne flew high in the air as the tornado of chi exploded around her. She couldn't believe she had been foolish enough to believe that Ku was weakened enough for her to defeat him alone. Even worse, she couldn't believe she had been tricked by her own technique. It was foolish of her to not consider his ability to use it, now that he possessed Ranma's body, and his mind.

Luckily, Cologne had three hundred years of experience to draw on, and knew just how to counter the attack in order to escape. She worked her way to the eye of the tornado and twirled her staff to create her own smaller whirlwind within it. Her smaller chi tornado joined the larger one, and created a small pocket of open air around her, protecting her from further harm.

As the hiryu shoten ha died down, Ku saw the old woman gliding down looking relatively unharmed. He wasn't surprised she was able to counter the move she had taught his host, but the point wasn't to defeat her. He could see that the shock had done the intended damage, as she looked at him with a nervous expression.

"Very clever," she said, "but I won't fall for that trick again." She may have taught Ranma one of her people's most powerful techniques, but there were dozens more where that came from.

Cologne flew at Ku once more, but he was through with the games. He struck her staff dead on with a charged chi blast and threw her back. While she was still recovering, he leapt at her and brought his fist down, attempting to deliver a finishing blow. The old woman just barely recovered in time to avoid the direct impact, but the explosion from Ku's chi charge fist hit her hard and she was slow to get up afterwards.

"Time to die!" Ku said. He charged Cologne and was about to strike her when Akane suddenly appeared in front him with her hands raised defensively. He stumbled back a step and looked at her with wide eyes. "A-Akane?" he stuttered and then growled at what had just occurred. He glared murderously at the girl. "You..."

Akane finally was able to muster the courage to attack. She threw several punches, but her focus was still missing, and Ku swatted them away with little effort.

Ku blocked Akane's feeble attacks until he caught her right wrist. He glared into Akane's tear glistened eyes and growled madly. He squeezed her wrist hard, causing her to wince in pain. The sound of her whimper sent a scorching pain in his chest, and he dropped her from his hold while stepping back.

Ku clenched his chest where the pain burned. He looked down at his hand covering the offended area and scowled in frustration. "Stubborn boy," he muttered.

Cologne watched closely from behind Akane. She saw the flow within Ku become disturbed by a vibrant pulse in his chest when Akane had cried out. That pulse had been enough to stop what he was doing, but it was gone almost quickly as it had appeared.

Ku tried to attack Akane again. The girl was still on the ground, and wouldn't be able to defend herself in time. He moved to punch her, but his body became locked before it could hit her.

Akane looked into Ku's eyes nervously. She was too afraid to move, should doing so cause whatever was holding him back to free him. "Ranma?" she asked hopefully.

Ku pulled back as Akane's single word caused his chest to burn again. He looked at Akane with murder in his eyes, but made no move to attack her. "Stupid girl!" he said. "Your time will come soon enough!"

Ku turned and made his escape. He dashed to where his katana was stuck in the ground and pulled it out before hopping away into the bleachers and over them. Akane stood up to pursue, but Cologne quickly struck her in the back of her leg with the tip of her staff to disable her.

"What are you doing?" Akane asked sharply. She tried to get up, but her legs buckled under her weight.

"Stopping you from making a foolish mistake," Cologne answered.

"We have to go after him!" Akane complained.

"And we will," Cologne said. She then glanced around, "but look around you. We've lost this round."

"But,"

"No buts," Cologne cut her off. "We must take time to recover, and plan out what we're going to do."

"Cologne is right," Soun said as he made his way over to them slowly. He had his hand over his heart, as if to protect it. "We can't continue on like this."

"But Ranma," Akane started, but was cut off again.

"Ranma is going to be fine," Cologne said. "At least, for now."

"How can you be so sure?" Akane asked.

Cologne looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I'm surprised you would even suggest otherwise," she said.

Akane dropped her head in shame at Cologne's words. She hadn't meant to show a lack of faith in Ranma's ability to survive the ordeal he was now in.

Cologne relaxed her face to look at Akane sympathetically. "Look, I know things look bad, but all is not lost," she said. "I saw a small spark of light within Ku's chi while I fought him, and something was obviously troubling him the entire time he was in Ranma's body."

"What do you mean?" Akane asked.

Cologne shook her head. "We can discuss it once we've all returned to your home. For now, we have wounds to tend to." She tapped a pressure point on Akane to give her back the use of her legs and hopped over to where Shampoo and Mousse were fussing in their animal forms.

Akane begrudgingly agreed with a nod, and helped her father walk over to where Genma was just recovering. He rubbed his head and held up a sign, 'Where is my boy?'

Akane stopped walking and choked back the feelings threatening to rip her heart apart. Soun didn't catch the look on her face and said, "He's... retreated, for now."

Genma looked at his old friend closely, trying to read between his well chosen words. From the looks of things, his son was still possessed by the demon, and that was not good. The battle had not gone well at all, and Ranma had clearly been their best chance. Now, they faced a very difficult challenge, in more ways than one.

"We can discuss everything once we've returned home," Soun continued. "I was hurt soon after you fell. Could you carry our master, Saotome?"

Genma didn't like the idea of having to carry his old master due to the memories that tortured him, but the gravity of the situation made him comply. The panda nodded and slowly walked over to where their master lay, and lifted him over his shoulder. He then eyed another unconscious body and raised his sign again, 'What about him?'

Soun and Akane looked in the direction Genma was and saw Ku's formed host on the ground. Soun felt rather indifferent to the man, but Akane felt sick at the sight of him, even from a distance.

"We can't leave any stone unturned," Cologne said from behind them. "Best to take him with us."

Genma nodded and hoisted the unconscious ninja over his other shoulder.

Akane helped support her father and together, everyone began the silent journey to the Tendo household. Along the way, Akane retrieved the Saotome family blade where it laid, and its sheath with its silk covering. She rewrapped the blade and held it tightly as they walked in silence.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** This chapter completes this battle at last. It really is too bad that Mousse, Shampoo, Happosai, and Cologne couldn't help Ranma along with Akane, Soun and Genma, huh? Things may have turned out differently if that were the case. Hints for the rematch? Maybe.

You may have noticed a strange shift from "it" to "he" as Ku's pronoun in this chapter. While I describe Ku as an "it" in his demonic form, I will be describing him as a male while in Ranma's body.

Now that we're past this sluggish three part fight, we can move back to a more moderate pace, and get some story development going again. Also, chapter 7 did receive a minor rewrite while I finished this one up. Nothing major was changed, but Akane's time under was extended to include details to match this and future chapters.

**Ranmayamabushi:** Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

**Richard Ryley:** It's true that Akane is by no means a bad fighter. I just think that her development as one was really underplayed throughout the manga. She does get better, but we're never really shown her doing much special training, like we constantly see Ranma doing.

**Compucles:** Your suspicions on Ku's possession were correct. This was my intention all along. As for breaking him free, it's going to be unique.

**linkgold64:** I won't confirm or deny your suspicion. You'll know it when you see it though.

**AliceTheBookGirl:** Yes, indeed, there is so much more to be done. The aura spirits were brought up in the chapter spirit, although you probably couldn't gather that they would play this kind of part from that brief mention of them.

**poseidon's son:** In the first part of the fight, Ranma rules out the hiryu shoten ha, because Ku radiates cold chi naturally. This prevents the contrast of hot and cold Ranma needs for the soul of ice to produce the tornado. It does, however, make Ku a walking hiryu shoten ha cannon.

**SUSYAKANE:** THANK YOU!

**Tyeren:** I can relate. Putting anything into words can be hard. I appreciate your kind words, though, and hope to continue to surprise you.

**Tristan:** I'm glad it was. It was one of the chapters I had been looking forward to writing, since I really wanted to get to Ranma's aura spirit. Of course, now I just want to get to Ranma's final form of it . haha.

**Garrett West:** I have tried my best to keep it faithful. I can appreciate all of the unique takes people have for fanfiction, but for my own stories, I try to keep it as close to the original as possible. I certainly am tempted to write more Ranma. Originally, before I picked this one back up after four years on ice, I was actually writing a Ranma one-shot, but that ended up being dropped for this. I also have a completely separate idea for a more drama themed story, but am not sure if I want to take on two Ranma stories at once.

**adeelshirazi1:** No, it isn't done with chapter 20, and don't worry, there will be an epilogue to close it up when I do reach that point. Thanks for the 10/10!

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	22. Wounds

Nabiki was setting the table while Kasumi and Nodoka quietly cooked dinner together. They had opted for routine tasks to try to work out their tensions over the situation, but Nabiki didn't usually do much around the house. This left her alone to over think on matters, and it wasn't doing much good.

By nature, Nabiki thought about every detail of the events surrounding her. Her sharp mind isolated each detail and calculated the odds of outcomes faster than the stock market shifted money. It was a talent, and a blessing she used to help her family as far as finances were concerned.

At the same time, Nabiki's gift was a curse. She never stopped thinking, so when situations ran on longer than she could stand, she began to rethink things. Rethinking eventually lead to second guessing things. Second guessing things changed the outcomes. Changing the outcomes lead to doubts, which quickly became unease. At least, "unease" was the word Nabiki used, because she refused to ever admit being afraid of anything.

Nabiki scoffed at her own stubbornness while she straightened the place settings for the tenth time. That trait seemed to run through the family, no matter how different they all were.

Soun was stubborn in his crazy, poorly planned schemes. Kasumi was harder to place, but she was still stubborn. She was an unstoppable force of motherly nature. So, while her habits were pleasant, and gentle, they were still stubborn. Akane's stubbornness was obvious to everyone, but herself. She adamantly refused to admit her feelings over damn near everything, most especially Ranma, whatever they may be. Then, there was Nabiki, the fourth, and last Tendo. She was stubborn in allowing her guard down. She wouldn't allow a glimpse behind her cold, calculated mask. She refused to show any fear.

Nabiki sighed and allowed a private moment of self admittance. She was afraid. She was deathly afraid of what was going to come through the door the next time she heard it open. She was afraid of what her re-evaluated outcome projection could mean for her family. She feared what would be done, if her odds proved true.

Nabiki snapped out of soaking in her fear to the sound of the front door opening. She ran to the door quickly and halted when she saw the group of people, speechless.

Everyone that had gone in pursuit of Akane and Ku had returned, including the Amazons, except for Ranma. The entire group wore faces of bitter defeat. Akane, looked the worst of them. She stood in the front of them all with her eyes downcast. Her hands grasped the Saotome family blade in its silk wrapping so tightly her already pale hands were white.

Nabiki knew what Akane was going through from years of studying every nuance to her behavior. She was on the edge, grasping that sword to physically keep herself in check.

Nodoka and Kasumi appeared behind Nabiki, also having heard the return of the large group. They looked at the weary warriors and could not bring themselves to say anything.

Akane felt like the silence was crushing her. She walked up to Nodoka and held out her family blade. "We lost," she said sadly.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter XXII: Wounds**

* * *

The Saotomes and Tendos all sat around the family room along with Cologne in relative silence. Mousse and Shampoo were absent, instead keeping watch over the unconscious ninja in the dojo, since several people absolutely refused to allow him into the house. The people in the family room relayed the tale of the battle with Ku while their wounds were tended to.

Kasumi, Nodoka, and Nabiki tended to their various wounds, not asking how any of them had been received. For the most part, they seemed okay. There were no broken bones, and Happosai had already come to. The greatest damage had been to their egos, and possibly a heart or two.

Genma, toughened from his years on the road, had required the least tending. He sat with his back to a corner, reading something in a thin book while everyone else was tended to.

Akane looked over at Ranma's father reading that book. She wondered how he could read at a time like this, but noticed the strange expression the man wore.

Genma looked uncertain as he read the page he was turned to. He seemed to gaze at that page for far longer than it would take to read whatever was on it before finally firming himself and closing it. He slipped the book back into the breast of his gi and straightened himself. His look was now much more put together, and Akane decided whatever he had read had helped him cope.

Close to where Genma now sat in meditation, Soun was being looked at by Kasumi and Nodoka. While his body looked to be in good shape, something about his behavior troubled the two women.

"Father, are you sure you're okay?" Kasumi asked. She could tell that he was hiding something from her, but wasn't sure what it could possibly be.

"Yes, Kasumi," Soun answered evenly. In truth, he did feel fine, except for his heart. While it no longer felt the sharp pain from when Ku had punched him over it, he couldn't shake the phantom pains borne from his fears.

"Soun, we need to make sure all of your injuries are taken care of," Nodoka said. "If anything is troubling you, we need to know."

"It's nothing," Soun insisted.

"So then there _is_ something wrong," Nodoka said.

"Father..." Kasumi joined Nodoka in pressuring Soun.

"Mr. Tendo is fine," Cologne said from behind the two women.

Nodoka and Kasumi turned to look at the Amazon Elder. She looked back at them with a genuine smile. "He's probably just troubled by how the chi attacks have affected him," she said.

"I see," Nodoka said. Neither she, nor Kasumi were convinced, however.

"Kasumi, Mrs. Saotome," Soun beckoned them.

"Nodoka," Nodoka corrected him.

"Er, Nodoka," Soun said before continuing, "I assure you both that I am fine. I just took a blow to my heart at one point."

"Oh, father, your heart," Kasumi was now very worried.

"That's not the kind of thing you should be hiding from us," Nodoka chastised him.

"He will be fine," Cologne assured them. "The damage was done through his chi. He will recover in time."

"You're sure?" Nodoka asked.

"I'm sure."

Nodoka and Kasumi decided to drop the subject for now, as there were other's to tend to. Nodoka finished helping Kasumi with Soun and joined her husband in the corner.

Genma stiffened when Nodoka kneeled beside him, obviously fearing the ever present sword on her back. Given the situation, Akane didn't blame Genma for being particularly fearful of his wife's possible actions. Rather than swing her sword, however, Nodoka whispered to him for a moment, and Genma nodded before responding quietly. Whatever words the two had shared, it brought them to a rare understanding, and Nodoka hugged her husband for support.

Meanwhile Kasumi walked over to Akane. "Hello, Akane," she said as she kneeled down next to her sister.

Akane said nothing to her older sister, but nodded to show she had heard. Ever since returning the family blade to Nodoka, Akane hadn't said a word.

Kasumi didn't press Akane to speak, knowing that her youngest sister was on the verge of breaking. She knew that it was only a matter of time, and there was nothing she could do to prevent. She would be there when it happened, and help Akane then. For now, she tended to her wounds.

Akane silently followed Kasumi's instructions while her older sister tended to the bruises and scratches along her arms and legs. When asked if there was anything that needed to be looked at underneath her top, she shook her head.

"That's good," Kasumi said as she resumed checking Akane's arms. Akane had come out better than the others, but she was still going to be very sore, and need some time to recover. She was just about finished, when she spotted a very nasty bruise on Akane's right wrist. "Oh dear, this is a really bad one," she noted while dabbing a towel into some salve cream.

Akane looked over to what Kasumi was referring to, and felt her chest tighten. The injury that Kasumi had referred to was the one Ku had given her after possessing Ranma's body.

The memories of facing Ku in Ranma's body forcefully played out in an instant. It was like reliving her worst nightmare. The one where Ranma attacked her, looked on her with hatred, and hurt her. It was something that she thought would never ever happen, but the fresh memories burned into her mind. All she could see was that look in his eyes, and feel his impossible strength nearly snapping her wrist.

Kasumi dabbed the salve over the bruise when she noticed a tear roll down Akane's cheek. Her instincts told her that the time was coming, and tentatively approached the situation. "Akane?" she asked softly.

Akane looked into her sister's worried eyes and tried to fight back the torment in her chest. No matter how much she wanted to, however, she couldn't stop the images of Ranma's eyes looking down on her such disgust and hatred. Finally, it became too much for her, and she fled to her room, hoping to make it before her tears started.

Kasumi said nothing as Akane suddenly stood and ran from the family room. She had been expecting this very action to occur, and excused herself calmly before following after her. When she reached her door, the familiar sound of Akane's crying came through.

Kasumi knocked and called through the door, "Akane?"

Akane didn't answer, but her sobs died down. Kasumi knocked again, like she always did, and was rewarded when Akane answered, "Come in."

Kasumi entered and found Akane sitting on her bed. She sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Akane didn't say anything while she tried to figure out the confusion dominating her mind. She knew that Kasumi would follow her when she left the way she did, so she'd been preparing to answer for her behavior. She could not find the words to say, though.

Kasumi could feel the tension in Akane's shoulders as she hesitated to answer. A lump was forming in her throat, as only a few things came to mind to explain Akane's behavior just now. She reached over with her free hand and raised Akane's wrist. "Akane... how did you get this?"

Akane pulled her wrist away and fumbled with her words when she spoke. "Ra... Ku caught me and gave this to me. He was in Ranma's body at the time," she said with strained control.

Kasumi sat in mild shock at what she heard. She understood now why her sister was troubled by that particular bruise. "Oh, Akane," she said sympathetically.

Akane turned and hugged her sister before allowing herself to finally cry again. "I know it wasn't him," she said, "but all I can remember is that look in his eyes, and how it felt to be hurt by him."

"There, there," Kasumi soothed Akane while rubbing her back.

"I never thought I'd see Ranma like that," Akane said between sobs. "Kasumi, he-"

"Akane, don't say that," Kasumi interrupted her. She pushed Akane back so she could look her in the eyes. "You know it wasn't Ranma that did this."

"I know, but..." Akane tried to convince herself, but the memory of Ranma's eyes was still too strong.

"Akane," Kasumi said sharply and shook her out of her sulking. She gave her a stern look. It was a look she reserved for those lectures where she reminded Akane or Nabiki that they should know better. Predictably, she started by saying, "You should know better. Ranma would hurt himself before he ever hurt you."

Akane did what she usually did when told such things. She scrunched her face indignantly and said, "of course I know that."

Kasumi knew that Akane was just reacting, but built on it. "You should be mad at Ku for doing this to you and Ranma," she said. "Do you think Ranma would be okay with this?"

"No way!" Akane said loudly. "He'd... he'd..." Akane imagined what Ranma would do once he faced Ku again. She remembered his countless battles, especially the ones involving her. She came to only one conclusion. "He's going to make him pay," she said with grim seriousness.

"That's right," Kasumi agreed. "So don't allow Ku to get away with it either. This kind of reaction is probably exactly what he wants."

Akane realized that Kasumi was probably right. Her trouble with coping was making her unbalanced, and that would be dangerous when they faced Ku again. She forced down the painful memories and focused on the root of the problem. "I won't," she said.

"That's better," Kasumi said. She stood up and helped Akane to her feet. "We should rejoin everyone downstairs now."

Akane followed Kasumi downstairs to where everyone was now standing. They looked over when the two sisters arrived, but said nothing.

"Where's everyone going?" Akane asked.

"To the dojo," Genma said. "Nabiki's taken Dr. Tofu there to take a look at... our guest."

Akane couldn't suppress her growl at the mention of the former host for Ku. She'd been unable to properly vent her anger, and as much as it sickened her to consider it, using him for a punching bag would feel good.

"You all go on ahead," Kasumi said. "I'll finish dinner. I'm sure everyone could use a good meal right now."

Everyone nodded before leaving together. Akane was glad Kasumi decided to stay behind, since she had quite the affect on the good doctor. Right now, she didn't want to put up with any of the usual craziness. She wanted answers.

When they entered the dojo, they saw Dr. Tofu looking over the unconscious ninja with Nabiki standing a good distance back. Shampoo and Mousse were both standing close, looking ready to strike at any moment.

"Give the doctor some space, you two," Cologne said.

"Great grandmother," Shampoo said, obviously uneasy with the order.

"Elder Cologne, I insist we remain on guard," Mousse said.

"It's good that you're determined to not be caught unawares," Cologne said. "However, you have nothing to worry about. That one won't be doing anything." Cologne pointed down at the unconscious ninja. She'd already probed him with her mind's eye, and saw that there was no light within him. While the body was alive, the mind as far gone.

Shampoo and Mousse looked at their elder, confused. The old woman waved them off, and they obeyed, relaxing before stepping back.

Dr. Tofu rubbed his chin as he checked over the ninja. He wrote down several notes, although he didn't really think he was going to need them. He hadn't seen a case like this since medical school, and even then, only in his textbooks and case studies. There was nothing he could do for the man.

When Dr. Tofu put away his instruments, Soun stepped forward. "Can you wake him?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not," Tofu said.

Cologne hummed in agreement, already knowing it was true. "He's too far gone," she said.

"What do you mean?" Soun asked.

"This man... you say he was the one possessed by the demon?" Tofu asked. He had been told everything by Nabiki, but wanted to make sure about details.

"That's right," Genma answered.

"Well, I can tell you that he must have been possessed for a very long time," Tofu said.

For the next few minutes, Tofu explained what he'd learned from his examination. He explained the abnormal aging on the man's face, although he had no answers for that. He could only assume it had something to do with the possession. Then, he got to explaining the lack of any chi, and why it wouldn't be possible to wake him.

"To put it simply, the brain's been off for too long," he said. "It's very similar to what I studied in medical school involving comas. Eventually, once it's been too long, the mind can't wake up. On a more alternative medicine approach, this man's chi has been completely drained."

Akane ignored the detail about the chi and asked, "how long until the mind can't be woken up?"

"It's different in each case, and there's no exact science to it," Tofu said sadly. He knew who the demon now possessed. He was also the first person to ever see Akane's feelings for Ranma, way back when they visited him after the baseball incident. He didn't want to make her worry any more than she must have been already, but owed her an answer. "The official medical classification doesn't come until after a year, but... I wouldn't give it more than two weeks. Anything longer than that, and recovery becomes very unlikely."

The dojo fell deathly silent at Tofu's explanation. Two weeks. They had two weeks to get Ranma back to normal, and they didn't have the faintest idea where Ku was with his body.

"Of course, I'm merely speaking from a medical perspective on comas," Tofu added to try to soften the uncomfortable silence. "I'm afraid I don't know anything about possession, and how it affects the mind. All I'm saying is... this will be the result if Ranma's possessed for too long."

"Then forget this one," Happosai said while pointing at the ninja with his pipe.

"What can we do?" Nodoka asked, barely keeping herself together at Genma's side.

"We have to force the demon out," Genma said. Everyone looked at him, and he explained. "Those of us that were conscious at the time all saw it. The demon left this man's body to take on the form of a wolf. We get him out in a fight, and Ranma will be freed."

"That's not likely to be easy," Cologne said. "It's obvious Ranma's body is what Ku's been after all this time. I doubt he'd leave it willingly, even if we did confront him."

"We can't just do nothing!" Akane shouted suddenly.

"I don't mean for us to," Cologne insisted. "We can't just take him head on though. We need to think of a way to either get the demon out, or hope Ranma can force it out."

"Come to think of it, the possession did take a considerable amount of time," Soun mused out loud. "Ranma was able to fight it, at first."

"And he can still fight it," Cologne added. "I saw it when I fought with Ku at the end. He's still in there. And, we all saw how Ku couldn't hit Akane."

Akane managed to blush a little while everyone looked at her with different levels of wonder. Shampoo looked on with strained passiveness.

"Actually, Genma was knocked out the whole time, and I hadn't seen Ku attack Akane," Soun said.

"Hmm, well, he tried," Cologne said. "It was his inability to make a move against her that convinced him to leave."

"So, what are you saying?" Genma asked.

"I'm saying that Ku is not yet in full control over Ranma's body. I don't know how long it will take him, or what he has to do to gain further control."

"And what exactly does that give us?" Soun asked.

"A better chance at beating him," Cologne said simply.

"We don't even know if beating him will do any good."

"But we have to try," Genma said sternly. "Until we figure more out, it's the only thing we have."

Happosai let out a grunt and looked at his student with a judging eye. "Don't go running into fights you can't win," he said.

Genma growled, but said nothing in reply to his master's words. He knew it would be difficult to defeat the demon in his son's body, but he couldn't just surrender.

"I suggest we all refrain from thinking with our fists," Cologne said. "Soun is absolutely right. We don't know if defeating him in Ranma's body will do us any good. We don't know just how much damage we'd need to do to get him out. And even if we did, there's no stopping him from possessing another."

"So we get him out and seal him into something," Soun declared. "We've sealed demons before."

"Perhaps," Cologne said, although she didn't sound very confident in the idea. "That's still depending on us getting the demon out of Ranma."

"Do you have any better ideas?" Genma asked.

Cologne thought for a moment, and shook her head. "Not at the moment, but I'm going to look into my people's history for any possible solutions."

Akane suddenly perked up and looked at Cologne. "Do you think you'll find anything?" she asked.

"I can't say anything for certain, but my people have dealt with some powerful demons in the past. I hope to at least find some inspiration."

Everyone was quiet for a moment after that. The conversation had more or less run out of directions to go in, leaving them all standing around awkwardly until Nodoka finally spoke. "Well, it seems there's nothing else to discuss here, then," she said.

"Actually, there is the matter of what to do with... this guy," Nabiki said, speaking for the first time. She pointed down at the ninja with her thumb from where she stood.

"Well... what can be done?" Soun asked. "The doctor said he can't be woken up."

"It is very doubtful, and even then, it's more doubtful he'd be anything more than a vegetable if he did," Tofu said.

Akane couldn't hide the shiver that ran through her body as she failed to keep from thinking about Ranma turning out this way. She didn't want to think of him as a comatose, over aged body. She suddenly recalled how Ranma had looked just a few days ago in the hospital. Those memories changed, placing him in his male form, wrinkled, and pronounced brain dead. Akane felt like she could faint at any moment.

Tofu caught the look on Akane's face and mentally slapped himself for being so oblivious. "Sorry," he said.

Akane shook her head, forcing out the images. "Ranma's going to beat this. You'll see!" she said with all the confidence she could muster.

"I'm sure he will," Tofu said with his trained smile. "Why don't you all return to the house. I can take care of him for you."

No one put up a complaint, and they all left the doctor to do whatever he had in mind with the ninja. They returned to the house to see that Kasumi had finished dinner, and was putting out all of the dishes.

"I see that everyone's here," Kasumi said as sweetly as she could, but even she could not hide her troubles. Her voice was strained, and lacked its usual warmth.

"Yes, there's nothing further to discuss at the moment," Cologne said. "Shampoo, Mousse, and I need to get back to the restaurant to tend to things. We'll be back tomorrow."

"Oh, are you sure you don't want to join us for dinner?" Kasumi asked, ever the pleasant hostess.

Cologne smiled, but shook her head. "Thanks, but there's a lot to be done."

"I understand," Kasumi said.

Cologne bowed and looked back to see Shampoo and Mousse mimicking the gesture. "Let's go, you two." The three Amazons left together, leaping over the outer wall and into the night.

Everyone watched the Amazons leave before finally sitting at the dinner table. Kasumi passed out servings of rice to everyone, and they began eating in earnest without any words said the entire meal.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Cologne and the others returned to the Nekohoten shortly after leaving the Tendo residence. They ignored the small group of people waiting outside, simply saying they wouldn't be opening until further notice as they passed.

Once inside, the elder immediately hopped up the stairs, leaving the two teenagers to watch without a clue about what to do themselves.

"Why don't you two make us something to eat?" Cologne shouted from beyond the stairs in the back. "I'll be down shortly."

Mousse and Shampoo didn't say anything, but went to the kitchen to cook up a quick meal.

They'd both been thinking over things ever since they were given guard duty in the dojo. Neither of them had been any kind of help against Ku. Mousse's attacks were ineffective while Shampoo hadn't even attacked him once.

Shampoo was still drowning herself in her shame over what she'd allowed to happen earlier that evening. She prided herself on her control, and while even she could admit her lack of it over the past week, the battle with Ku greatly disturbed her. She couldn't afford to be weak like that the next time they faced Ku, which could potentially be more difficult. She didn't know how well she'd be able to take the same taunt's coming from Ranma's mouth.

This situation was one Shampoo didn't think she'd ever be in. She always imagined living happily ever after with Ranma, with no problems ever coming up. The laws and traditions of her people concerning threats were clear. Lethal justice. The danger Ku presented needed to be dealt with, and, though she didn't dare say it out loud, that may mean killing Ranma along with the demon. Shampoo became still at that thought.

Mousse noticed Shampoo go rigid, but did not inquire about the reason why. He had yet to discover anything about Shampoo's recent troubles, and didn't want to try to find out now, of all times. He knew Shampoo probably wouldn't say anything anyways, since it wasn't in her nature to speak of disgrace. Still, he didn't think it was a good idea to let her attempt cooking right now. She was already denting the iron handle of the pot she was holding.

"Shampoo, why don't you let me take care of dinner?" Mousse asked while grasping the pot in Shampoo's hand.

Shampoo looked at Mousse as if she'd just noticed he was there. She blinked and then dropped her eyes to the pot she was grasping before everything came together. Without a word, she nodded and left Mousse alone in the kitchen.

Mousse busied himself preparing three large bowls of ramen while Shampoo sat in silent meditation at a table in the dining room. She was reflecting on a lot of different emotions that were tugging at her.

Meanwhile, Cologne was still upstairs, digging through the various texts that she'd brought from China. She piled books and scrolls about demons, forbidden potions, talismans, and pieces of history to read later. In all, she had quite a bit to look through, and she hoped it wouldn't be fruitless.

Satisfied with what she'd managed to sort out, Cologne grabbed the books she'd been thinking about and rejoined the others downstairs. She was not surprised to see Shampoo seated at a table alone when she got there. It wasn't uncommon for Mousse to offer to do the cooking for her. "What's on your mind, child?" she asked as she joined her great granddaughter at the table.

Shampoo looked at her great grandmother as if she was ashamed of something, which puzzled the elder. The young Amazon didn't say anything, but obviously had something that was bothering her.

Cologne had no idea what was going through Shampoo's mind, so she was direct with her approach. "What is troubling you, Shampoo?"

Shampoo gulped before answering. "Shampoo do something bad."

Cologne's eyes narrowed. She hadn't witnessed any wrong doing on Shampoo's part, but she did remember being knocked out for a period of time. "What happened?"

"Shampoo face the demon, Ku," she said, not meeting Cologne's gaze. "Demon say things, make Shampoo feel things. Shampoo try and fight it, but..."

"Yes, child?"

"Shampoo give in, and turn on Akane," she finished and now hid her face completely.

Cologne hummed in thought over Shampoo's words. It wasn't uncommon for demon's to trick humans into doing things. Quite to the contrary, it was what they did best. What mattered, was the reason the person was tricked. "What did the demon make you feel?" she asked.

Shampoo was quite as she forced herself to relive that nightmare. She didn't like the emotion that was forced on her, because it was so alien to her. She had always been confident in herself to the point that she never saw anyone as a legitimate challenge in any way. That confidence meant that she had never felt true jealousy until today. "Shampoo feel jealous of Akane," she admitted, finally.

"Mmm, I see," Cologne said. She wouldn't dig too deeply for now, but she made a mental note for later. Any clue over the demon's game could be important. "I would not dwell on such things, Shampoo. Demon's thrive on their tricks. Instead, you should focus on not allowing it to happen again."

Shampoo nodded, but wasn't sure if she'd be able to forget what had happened. It still gnawed at her. Still, her elder was right. Demon's played tricks to get what they wanted. That's all that happened, she told herself. It was all just a trick to fool her into attacking Akane.

Mousse appeared from the kitchen carrying a tray with three large bowls. He served the two women before taking a seat to join them. "Elder, do you think you'll find out anything about the demon from our texts?" he asked.

Cologne slurped the mouthful of noodles she'd been eating and looked at the books she'd taken downstairs with her. "This particular demon, no," she said. "I would have remembered at least something of it by now if our tribe had any dealings with it before."

Mousse nodded, finding his elder's answer acceptable. He knew that Cologne had a very good memory, even in her old age. If she had ever read anything about this demon, Ku, she indeed would have at least felt there was some familiarity. That was when something began to pick at the back of his mind. "Still," he said, "there is something vaguely familiar about it."

Cologne now gave him a quizzical glance. "What is it, Mousse?"

"Well, you wouldn't have seen it, since you were still unconscious at the time," Mousse explained. "The demon took on its true form after Ranma arrived. That of a giant black wolf."

Cologne went stiff and held her chopsticks tightly. Her eyes were now wide as they looked at Mousse. "What?" she asked. She had been told about Ranma's battle with Ku while she was unconscious, but everyone had skipped out on the detail of the demon's true form. Hearing it now was making her nervous.

"It reminded me of those stories that we were told as children," Mousse said. "The story of the black wolf that takes away children that misbehave."

Cologne knew what story Mousse was referring to. It was one she'd told her own children, and their children, and then _their_ children, Shampoo included. One glance towards her chosen heir and catching her involuntary shudder confirmed Cologne's nagging suspicions. Mousse was not exaggerating with his comparison.

"The black wolf that's attracted to our bad thoughts, and comes in the night," Mousse continued, not catching the looks on either Cologne or Shampoo's face. "We were taught that being strong, brave, proud, and honorable would keep the wolf away."

Cologne sighed as Mousse's story came to an end, giving the usually foolish young man a strange feeling. "But surely that is merely a coincidence," he said hopefully.

Cologne looked into Mousse's innocent gaze and thought back to that age old legend. Revelation dawned on her, and she cursed herself for missing something so plainly easy to see. "Xū..." she hissed.

"Elder?" Mousse asked.

Cologne let the pieces come together in her mind. Ku, Japanese for empty, or void, which translated to Xū in Chinese, the very name of that black wolf Mousse was talking about. Cologne believed she had found the clue she needed, but it didn't lead to anything but grim ends. "That story is no mere fairy tale spun to keep children in line," she said.

Mousse and Shampoo now turned their full attention to their elder as she told them the true legend of the black wolf.

"The stories you heard as children stem from a dark chapter of our history," she explained. "It is a time not many of our people know about. It was over two thousand years ago, during the unification of China. The lands were in constant turmoil from war between men. Our tribe remained mostly secluded from those wars, but it is impossible to be safe from such rampant hatred.

"It was around that time the darkness crept into our valley from the mountains. Our texts described the darkness as absolute despair, with the desire to consume and further its reach. From this darkness, a giant black wolf, the demon that called itself Xū, appeared on the night of a new moon."

Mousse and Shampoo felt their bodies numbing as the story unfolded in their minds. They had seen that darkness consume the sky to match the black wolf that was originally linked to the tale. They no longer hoped it to be a coincidence.

"That night, Xū descended on our village," Cologne continued. "Our warriors met it in combat, believing it to be just another simple demon, but they were mistaken. Xū was unlike any force our people had faced before. It broke their wills, and fed off of their despair. As the battle raged on, it only became stronger and our people, weaker."

"I've never heard of such a demon before," Mousse said in grim shock.

"Mmm, only someone in line to become elder would ever have a chance to read this chapter of our history," Cologne said, sparing Shampoo a glance.

Shampoo gulped. She suddenly realized there was a lot more to her people than she originally thought. "What happen next?" she asked.

"Xū left without fatally wounding anyone, but the damage it had done was great. Dozens of our greatest warriors had met defeat that night, but their scars were not physical. Pride had been damaged that night, leaving many of those that had fought unbalanced.

"When they were able to speak of what they'd experienced, they all spoke of a great demon that found them to be unworthy, and thirsted for more. They assumed that it would be back, and prepared to face it again, despite their lingering doubts.

"That night, Xū appeared again from the shadows of the mountains. Again, our people fought with it, and again they were defeated. This time, the damage was even greater. The wounds cut deeper into their hearts. The same happened on the third night, but this time, Xū took its first life from us."

Shampoo and Mousse were now feeling the tension build at hearing the demon had drawn blood. They listened intently as Cologne continued her history lesson.

"For two weeks, Xū continued to come at night and terrorize our village. It wasn't until the men were forced to come out on the fifteenth night, that things took a turn for the worse. By then, dozens had been slain. The men had protested being forced to watch and pray all that time, but the women hung onto their pride, and insisted on protecting their people without them. When it was too much, the men were allowed to join.

"At the sight of the men, Xū changed its tactics. It abandoned trickery in favor of brute force. It challenged each one alone with all of its might, until one finally stood against it.

"Perfume, the greatest warrior in our history had married the man that defeated her, whom stood against Xū where others fell. Wong Fei battled the black wolf, and for a moment, victory seemed to dangle before the tribe.

"Victory was not to be, however. Xū wore Wong Fei down, and defeated him. Howling in victory, the wolf entered into Wong Fei's body, and possessed him for its prize."

Now, Shampoo and Mousse felt ill. That's exactly what Ku had done to Ranma. It's final attack was a howling chi blast, and soon after, it possessed him.

"What happen next?" Shampoo asked with an empty tone.

"With the host body, Xū no longer vanished with the night," Cologne said. "It now used Wong Fei's body to move freely during the day, but he did not leave our valley. The darkness persisted.

"Perfume, yet to become an elder, sought vengeance against the demon for taking her husband from her. She meditated for the entire day, praying to the spirits of our ancestors for the power to free our valley from the demon.

"Perfume did not leave her meditation until Xū returned that night, the sixteenth night of his torture over our people. Xū declared that it had come to break the bonds of his host, and demanded Perfume's presence.

"Perfume revealed herself, and faced the demon in her husband's body alone. They fought a battle that went into legend that night. While Xū possessed the body and knowledge of the man that had defeated her, it did not have the same skill or experience she had. Perfume defeated it, and in an act of sacrifice, she killed her husband's body, forcing the demon out."

Shampoo put her hand to her mouth and gasped, wide-eyed. That was the extent the most legendary warrior of their people went to in order to free her people from torment? That was the demand on them now?

Cologne ignored her heir's shock and continued. "Xū left Wong Fei's dead body and unleashed its anger on Perfume. She called upon her ancestors then, crying out for their aid. In answer, the full moon broke through the darkness, and from it a wolf made of white light descended around her. The guardian spirit whom called itself Míngxī had come to answer her prayers, and vanquished the darkness over the valley.

"Míngxī then fought against Xū with Perfume. The battle raged through the night from our valley into the mountains. No one knows exactly what happened in that battle, but Míngxī and Perfume returned to the village with the dawn. The demon never returned again."

Shampoo and Mousse stared at their elder as if they'd been slapped. "Míngxī, our tribe's guardian spirit," Mousse mumbled. "The name means clear, or lucid. It is the wolf of waking dreams."

"So, we summon this wolf and it can defeat Ku?" Shampoo asked.

Cologne shook her head. "No one has been able to summon Míngxī except Perfume," she said sadly, causing both teenagers' shoulders to droop slightly. "Míngxī also never defeated Xū that night. According to Perfume, she was only able to chase it from the valley."

"She?" Mousses raised an eyebrow.

"Well, of course our tribe's guardian spirit is female," Cologne said with a glare that dared him to say otherwise.

Mousse wasn't stupid, like some may have believed, and did not contradict his elder. He readjusted his glasses and thought about the story they'd just been told. He suddenly stood up. "Wait a minute! I've never heard this story before!"

"I know," Cologne said plainly. She thought she'd already explained why too.

"But, elder, the story of Perfume and Míngxī is our greatest legend. How is it this part about the demon has been forgotten?"

"Mousse right," Shampoo agreed. "We all grow up hearing legend of Perfume and the guardian spirit. Never hear about demon."

"And if the elders all know the truth, why keep it from the rest of our tribe?" Mousse asked. "Such a story would only make Perfume's legend that much greater."

Cologne sighed. She of course knew the reason. She decided that telling the story meant she had to also explain why a fake one is told in its place, and Xū was degraded to a fairytale meant to scare children into behaving. "It has been kept a secret at the request of Perfume," she said.

"What?" Mousse couldn't believe it.

"Shampoo no understand." In truth, she really couldn't understand why an Amazon would want such a legendary story to be forgotten.

"This moment in our history was one of the darkest, if not the darkest chapter," Cologne said. "It of course made sense to preserve it in perfect detail, but Perfume demanded otherwise.

"While she had made her sacrifice willingly, and without hesitation, Perfume never once stopped loving her husband. After the battle, she felt despair threaten to consume her, and remembered how the demon fed on such feelings. She feared it would return if she allowed herself to continue on that way. So, she did not want to be forced to remember the story each year, as it was told on the anniversary of their great victory over the demon. You two would know this celebration as the Guardian Moon Festival."

Shampoo couldn't stop herself from scoffing slightly at hearing about that. That festival was the one Ranma had first defeated her in his cursed form and started her nightmare of an honor quest.

"When Perfume became an elder, she declared that the legend of Xū should never again be told, and only be preserved in the history texts of the elders, should a time it need be told again. From that day, the legend of Míngxī was changed to involve an invading army of the Qin dynasty. It in fact combines two true stories into one. Perfume did summon Míngxī to defeat the invaders."

"So that's the true story of Perfume and Míngxī..." Mousse said in awe. He wondered if he could ever make such a sacrifice for his people.

Shampoo was wondering the same thing, and realized she was expected to. As a future elder, she was frequently told that the tribe comes before personal honor. She could now see that Perfume had set the bar impossibly high.

"So, you think this Ku we faced is the same demon as Xū?" Mousse asked.

"The similarities are very haunting," Cologne answered. "The similar names, it's wolf form, the cover of darkness, and the insistence on male hosts. I should have seen the connection sooner."

"What does this mean?" Mousse asked. "What can we do?"

Cologne thought about what exactly it did mean. She did not intend for the story to mean anything more than an explanation for her suspicions. Yet, now that it had been told, she admitted that they should try to learn from it. The details did not give her confidence in their choices, however. "I need time to look into this further," she said.

Cologne looked at them in the eyes. "I will try to learn more tonight, but if I find nothing, we are not to mention any of this to the others. At least, not yet."

Shampoo and Mousse nodded, trusting in her wisdom over their own impulses for once. Together, the three of them resumed eating in silence, all thinking about the story Cologne had just told. Cologne was thinking about what texts to study regarding the demon, and alternatives that may give some possible solutions. Mousse was dreading the power of the demon more than ever. Shampoo feared what would have to be done to defeat it.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

At the Tendo residence everyone turned in early. They escaped to silent solitude to think over the events of the night, and what was going to be done. While everyone retreated to be by themselves, Kasumi continued with her usual nightly routine, finding that it helped her cope with everything better than silent contemplation.

While Kasumi busied herself cleaning up the kitchen, she thought through how everyone was dealing with the current situation. Her father seemed to be more together than usual, finding his long lost resolve in the face of this problem. This had actually left her slightly off balance, since she had no idea how to approach his behavior. She decided it would be best to simply stand back and allow him some space.

Nabiki was more troubling. She seemed to have lost her usual coolness and disappeared into her room almost right after finishing dinner. While she was probably the person furthest from Ranma of the people in the house, she still clearly cared for him.

Again, Kasumi was at a loss of how to help in this case, which made her tense with worry. She had to keep it together for everyone's sakes. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with Nabiki. Perhaps speak with her in private, and try to get the most private person she knew to open her walls a crack. She couldn't very well force them open if she wanted to help.

Genma and Nodoka were the only people in the house Kasumi didn't find too much reason to worry about. They had naturally taken solace with each other, seemingly dropping the years of issues they had for the sake of emotional healing.

Genma was a hard man, and by whatever method, had kept himself together well, which is exactly what his wife needed. Nodoka had openly despaired over their son's situation to him, and he had willingly comforted her, assuring her that he would bring him back at any cost.

That left Akane. Poor, little Akane.

Kasumi looked up to where Akane's room was beyond the ceiling of the first floor. She had limped to her room like a woman drained of all of her energy a little after everyone else. Kasumi had wanted to go to her then, but knew she just needed some time to herself. That was the dance that Akane danced around issues of the heart.

Kasumi finished in the kitchen and turned off the lights. She made her rounds checking the doors and windows before joining the rest of the inhabitants upstairs. When she passed by Akane's room, she stopped to listen to see if she'd fallen asleep. As she feared, the sounds of Akane struggling to find peace came through the door before Kasumi even placed her ear on it.

She waited a moment before finally knocking on the door. The sounds of Akane's tossing and turning stopped, but Kasumi was not permitted to enter. She remained outside for a moment to see if perhaps Akane would ask for her presence, but no request was made.

Kasumi didn't like it when Akane was like this. Whenever she wasn't the one Akane wanted to talk to, she knew whom to turn to, but that person was missing at the moment. She knew that she could do nothing though, so she said a silent prayer for her sister and left her door in peace.

Akane listened quietly for Kasumi to leave her door. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now, and hoped her sister wouldn't insist on it. When she heard her sister's quiet footsteps retreat down the hall, she sighed with relief.

Akane rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. She'd stopped crying long ago, but not for lack of sadness. Her eyes had no more tears to give. She wished she'd cried herself to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, the vision of Ranma's eyes burned into her mind. She'd spent the past hour struggling for sleep, but the images persisted, no matter what she did.

For the next hour, Akane continued to try to force herself to sleep. She wished none of this had happened, even if it had lead to Ranma admitting his feelings for her. She would have rather returned to the agony of constant uncertainty and crushing jealousy than continue on like this.

She let out a dry sob at the thoughts going through her head. She couldn't believe she was actually longing for the old days of chaos. In truth, she never wanted to go back to those days. She just wished Ranma had won, and was across the hall from her at this very moment.

Akane sighed sadly. She needed something to cuddle with, like P-chan. Upon remembering her pet, however, Akane also remembered promising Ranma she'd get rid of him. She would never forgive herself for betraying her word so easily. It would also be insulting to Ranma if she ran to her little pet he seemed to detest so much when he was gone like this.

Without P-chan as an option though, Akane was without an object to cuddle or cry into. She'd never gotten stuffed animals as a kid, and Ranma had never gotten her one as a gift, not that she expected him to. So, she was forced to do without, but that only lead to more tossing and turning in bed.

Finding her situation too frustrating, Akane got out of bed and quietly exited her room. She had no destination in mind, but just needed to get away from her room for some reason. She stood with her back against her door without an idea on what to do when she eyed the guest room across the hall.

Akane didn't know why, but she found herself drawn to that room, even though she knew she would not find Ranma there. When she reached the door, she slowly slid it open and tip toed inside.

Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness long ago, so she had no trouble seeing around the mostly empty room.

Genma and Nodoka were both asleep in an embrace, probably the first one they'd shared since reuniting. As bad as things may have seemed between herself and Ranma, Akane had to admit things between his parents had been worse. To see them embracing was one of the things she thought she'd never see, but there they were, clinging to each other with Nodoka partly on top.

Akane sighed. She wondered what the hell she was doing. There was no reason for her to be in there, yet, she didn't feel like leaving. She took another scanning look around the room and spotted Ranma's rolled up futon in the corner.

She walked over to it quietly and looked down at the neatly rolled futon with his pillow laying on top of it. Without a conscious thought, she took the pillow and hugged it to her chest.

Akane stood there for a moment hugging Ranma's pillow tightly. She could smell his scent on it, and allowed herself to take it in greedily. While she found his scent comforting, it also made her realize how much she missed him, and how scared she was that he'd never come back. She began to cry again quietly, trying not to wake Genma or Nodoka.

Akane fought herself back under control and wiped her face against the pillow in her arms. She decided it was the best she could do tonight, and quietly slipped out of the room with it.

As the door to the room shut, Nodoka shifted slightly and looked at it. While she was a deep sleeper like her husband, years of living alone had trained her to wake to sounds of possible intruders more easily. She'd awoken to the sounds of someone in the room, and had looked to see Akane crying over Ranma's things.

Ever the silent watcher, Nodoka had pretended to be asleep while Akane left. She understood that Akane must be going through as tough a time as she was. However, while she at least had Genma to take comfort in, Nodoka wasn't sure if Akane had someone to lean on. She knew that Akane looked up to Kasumi, but to her understanding, the youngest Tendo had shut herself in since dinner.

Nodoka contemplated what to do about what she'd seen. She had experience with matters like this, since she'd coped on her own back when Genma took Ranma on their long training trip. Back then, she'd slept with the few photos she had of Ranma, and spent long hours going through his clothes.

In response to her memories, Nodoka suddenly looked over to where Akane had been standing. Sure enough, one of Ranma's items was now gone, his pillow. Now wearing a gentle smile, Nodoka believed she understood Akane's perspective a little better. She would speak to her tomorrow, when things were, hopefully, less tense.

Akane returned to her room and fell onto her bed. She cuddled with Ranma's pillow, finding its scent comforting, despite the strong emotions that conflicted because of it.

Even though she felt sadness at missing Ranma, it was better than fear and despair over seeing his hate filled eyes glaring at her. She clung to the pillow like a lifeline against those eyes. They no longer haunted her, instead replaced by the spare moments of kindness he'd shown her. Now, she saw Ranma's blue eyes from when they'd first kissed. They were bright, determined, and as warm as his lips on hers.

Akane sighed as she relived her most precious memory. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep to the thoughts of better times.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And the trophy for longest story posted by me in terms of word count goes to... ding ding ding! This one! This story has surpassed my Evangelion fic, which I said I was going to get back to around thanksgiving, but never did. Oops!

Xū = Empty, void, or emptiness in traditional Chinese (mandarin).

Míngxī = Clear or lucid in traditional Chinese. Lucid is a type of dream where the dreamer is conscious of the dream, and can control what they do in it. I chose it to base this guardian spirit off of Lucid from Wild Arms 1 and 2, which was also a wolf, although he was grey/purple.

So, the story Cologne gave to Mousse and Shampoo turned out to be a rather serendipitous one. While I had always intended to have the demon be mentioned in their history, I hadn't really given thought to its Chinese name until writing this chapter. By blind luck, "void" in Japanese and Chinese are very similar words. Also, the Chinese for "lucid" actually sounding plausible as a female name was very fortunate for me.

And thus, the legend of Ku grows, as does the burden on Shampoo as a future elder.

**Tyeren:** The biggest surprises are yet to come. I don't plan on dragging out the search for Ranma too long, as I think that would kill the pace too much.

**Anonymous:** I'm glad you enjoyed the twist.

**poseidon's son:** Yes, until he can conjure a full aura, he will be more susceptible to physical attacks. As for the moxibustion pressure point, that is out. I have something completely new planned for Ku.

**Compucles:** Stay stumped, and let the ending amaze you! Despite the 5 chapter concept growing to this 22nd chapter already, the original framework has remained the same. I hope the ending is something few see coming.

**AliceTheBookGirl:** Yup, there's still a ways to go for the Nerima Wrecking Crew in this story. This marks the start of the third act, so got some meat left to go through before the climatic final battle.

Indeed, there's plenty of sadness to go around for various reasons. The source of their kick in the behind may come as a surprise though.

**linkgold64:** I assumed this plot device was going to be obvious to some. My bag of tricks was reserved for breaking the possession.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	23. Gathering

Cologne sat in meditation alone in her room as dawn crept over Nerima. She'd spent the night pouring over countless texts about demons, possession, Amazon techniques, potions, and exorcisms until the wee hours. Having not slept, she now used her training to recoup her strength while inhaling a special incense. It wouldn't replace real rest, but it would allow her to function for the day.

As the incense soothed her lungs, Cologne thought about what she'd learned. As she expected, her people had not faced any demon like Ku since the Xū event. While there were some examples of powerful demons, none compared to Ku. Still, she considered the solutions to those demons as possibilities.

What really troubled Cologne was the issue of time. Perfume had written a personal text of her battle with Xū, and it was kept in the library of the elders. That journal so happened to be in her possession at the moment.

The small journal gave the legendary warrior's recollection of the sixteen day battle against the demon. Of particular interest was that it contained the only written record of Míngxī's battle with Xū, as well as Perfume's more personal battle with the demon.

What Cologne had read in that journal was both enthralling, and horrifying. If her suspicions were correct, things could get a lot worse, and she would find out very soon if that was the case.

Cologne put out her incense and perched onto her staff. She looked over the items she'd set aside on her table to show everyone else and hummed in thought.

"Difficult times are ahead," she told herself.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter XXIII: Gathering**

* * *

Akane awoke when sunlight sneaked through the gap in her curtains and into her eyes. She immediately rolled over, still cuddling Ranma's pillow tightly, not yet wanting to face the day.

To put it lightly, she felt terrible. While she hadn't burned up as much chi or taken as many blows as the others, she'd not been able to eat much during dinner. Because of that, and her difficulties to fall asleep, her body ached everywhere.

While Akane was content to remain in her bed, others thought differently. A soft knock on her door followed by Kasumi saying breakfast was almost ready made Akane groan.

Akane lay still, feigning sleep. She didn't want to get up and face this hell. She'd been having pleasant dreams, and wanted nothing more than to return to them. A moment of peace passed, but Akane knew her sister was still outside her door.

Another knock, this one louder than the last, banged through the door. This time, Kasumi was more stern when she spoke. "Akane, you need to get up and join us for breakfast," she said loudly through the door. "There's important things to discuss."

Akane groaned in protest, but sat up and said, "okay." She heard Kasumi walking down the stairs and sighed. She couldn't run away from this.

Akane looked down at the pillow in her lap sadly. She decided it was foolish to try to escape reality the way she had been. She couldn't waste a single moment if she wanted to help get Ranma back.

Lifting the pillow to her face, Akane smelled Ranma's scent one last time and set it down on top of hers. "I'm going to do whatever it takes," she said.

After getting dressed, Akane went downstairs to join everyone for breakfast. To her surprise, her father was out in the yard sparring with Genma, much like Ranma would in the morning, with Happosai watching and barking out orders. Her sister Nabiki was watching them while drinking her coffee, looking more alert than she usually did in the morning.

"You're out of practice, and out of shape, Soun!" Happosai yelled as his student tumbled to the ground.

Soun got to his feet with a loud groan. "Sorry, master," he said.

"You'll be sorry when we get to the real training," Happosai warned coldly.

Soun stiffened, but made no protests as he returned to sparring with Genma. They two men put on a display most people their age would be ecstatic to do, but Happosai was not impressed. "Now, I _know_ I trained you better than this," he said after the sorry display of endurance. He then turned, noticing Akane for the first time and scowled, "and just what do you think you're doing?"

Akane gave Happosai a clueless look. "What?" she asked.

"That dress," Happosai said, pointing at the yellow dress she was wearing. "How do you expect to train in that? Girls... always wanting to look pretty..." He suddenly lost his edge and smiled at her mischievously. "Not that I'd complain about a little show."

Akane looked at Happosai, dumbfounded. "Training? What training?"

Happosai regained his edge and grumbled. "What? Did you intend to just stand on the sidelines like some cheerleader?" he asked. "Ranma may be willing to fight your battles for you, but he's not going to be able to this time!"

Akane was now glaring at Happosai and meeting his edge with her own anger. "Ranma does _not_ fight my battles for me!" she yelled. "I'll show you!" Without another word, Akane turned to go change into her gi.

Happosai gave a humph at Akane's retreating form and returned his attention to his two student. "Well, it seems we're all on board then," he said.

Soun and Genma both gulped nervously. It'd been a long time since they'd trained under their master, but they could still recognize the tone Happosai was using with them now. Gone was the mischievous pervert for the serious, unforgiving master that had first tricked them into studying under him.

By the time Akane returned in more appropriate clothes, Kasumi and Nodoka had announced breakfast. Everyone sat at the table to eat quietly. While breakfast was usually a very heated affair in their household, without Ranma it was quite somber.

The morning meal was finished without even the smallest conversation. When the table was ready to be cleared, Happosai addressed the other martial artists. "Time to get down to business," he said.

Akane, Soun, and Genma all followed Happosai to the dojo. The grand master turned and said, "First things first. Akane, you know my opinion on training girls."

Akane nodded, but did not say anything. She felt her disappointment and anger over his original refusal to train her bubbling, but didn't want to risk ruining this second chance.

"Because of what's happened, I am making an exception," Happosai said. "However, do not think that I will baby you like Ranma. I only train men, and as such, you will be treated like a man."

Soun stiffened beside Akane. He was mumbling when he spoke. "M-master, surely you don't mean," he stuttered.

"I do..." he said sagely, but then a glint flashed in his eyes when he turned to Akane again. "Although..." he suddenly grinned and pounced with his hands reaching for her chest.

Akane swiftly crushed Happosai into the dojo floor with a scream. So much for being treated like a boy.

Happosai got up slowly, rubbing his head where Akane's fist had struck it. "Gonna have to work on that," he grumbled to himself. He gave Akane a hard look that seemed to strain as he eyed her chest again. He sighed sadly, and straightened. "Anyway, it's this, or nothing," he said.

"I accept," Akane said.

Happosai began to grin at Akane. She had no idea what she was about to go through. "Very well. Then let us begin!"

For the next four hours, Happosai put his three students through martial arts hell. The usually jolly grand master didn't quirk a single smile as he ran them through countless katas, drills, beatings, and ridiculous demands of physical feats. When all was said and done, Akane was ready to faint.

Happosai paced in front of the three while they knelt down. He was shaking his head and grumbling. "After assessing your skills, I must say, you are a pathetic lot," he said.

Akane's eyes went wide. "That was just a skills assessment?" she asked incredulously.

"Of course," Happosai said, as if it shouldn't have been a surprise. "We can't be doing any training indoors."

"But you trained Ranma just fine in here," Akane protested.

Akane's defiance earned her a whack over the head with Happosai's pipe. She fell to the ground with a loud thud while Soun and Genma remained looking forward as if nothing had happened.

"Hey, that hurt!" Akane yelled as she scrambled back up.

Happosai whacked her down again. He stood over her crumpled form and gave her a sharp glare. "Don't complain like some whiney little girl," he warned.

"What? But I'm a," Akane stopped short when Happosai's glare didn't stop, and she remembered his original warning in regards to her training. She now swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat. He was dead serious about treating her like a boy.

Happosai waited for Akane to finish her complaint. He was already preparing to swing his pipe a third time, but was pleased when she gulped down her argument and firmed her seated position. "That's better. Now..." Happosai looked at each of his students to make sure he had their utmost attention, "as I was saying, we cannot do the training you need in here."

"Yes, master," Soun and Genma said together.

Akane looked over to her father and Genma. She was used to seeing them bend over for Happosai this way, but still couldn't help but glare at them for showing so little spine when it happened. Neither man flinched under her gaze, or even seemed to notice. When she turned back, she saw Happosai looking at her expectantly. "Er, yes, master," she said weakly.

Happosai didn't appreciate her tone, but let it pass. "Ranma was able to train in this dojo, because he already had the physical training done," he explained. "I didn't have to worry about his toughness, and could focus on his skills. You three, however, do not have that same level of readiness." Happosai paused again to look at them.

"Yes master," the three said again, with Akane slightly behind the two men.

"Now, Ranma is a good martial artist," Happosai admitted. "He's better than any of you will get before the next battle."

Akane felt her heart drop at Happosai's words. In truth, she already knew how unlikely it was any of them would become skilled enough to best Ranma in such a short time. To hear it though, hit that fact home.

"Therefore, we cannot rely on skill or techniques alone. We must harden our bodies and stretch our endurance to the absolute limits."

"Yes, master."

Akane wondered what kind of training they would do to work on toughening their bodies. She remembered what Ryoga had gone through, and cringed at the thought of getting crushed by boulders repeatedly.

Happosai was silent for a moment while he thought about what they would do to prepare. He hated losing, especially to that punk of an heir he had, even if he was currently possessed. And besides, he couldn't possibly allow Ranma's girl side's sweet bosom be held by such a cruel fate. Still, he was no fool when it came to martial arts. While Ranma had his weaknesses, his body was indeed in superb shape, and the demon that now possessed it was no slouch.

Truthfully, toughening up everyone was the best he could come up with for now, but Happosai was wracking his brain to think about techniques to teach them. He had observed the various talents Soun and Genma had picked up in his absence, but was disappointed to discover they never learned to throw their chi as a means of attacking. He didn't want to teach them that now, however, since that type of fighting was such a burn on the body's resources, leaving Akane as the only other member to possess that skill.

Happosai considered his newest student. Why Ranma taught her such a dangerous technique was beyond him. Still, she'd learned the technique, meaning he could spend his time refining it in her. It also meant she would probably have an easier time learning the aura spirit technique. "Hmm," Happosai rubbed his chin in thought.

The three kneeling students all waited for their master to say something. Akane wasn't used to having to wait so long for someone to continue their lecture, and was growing impatient.

"Your training will begin this afternoon," he said, finally. Then he perked up. "I need to get a lil something to clear my mind first." He then hopped away with his more natural grin on his face.

"Yes, master," they all said.

Akane groaned to herself as Happosai disappeared from the dojo. Some things just never change.

Soun waited next to Akane as Genma left the dojo shortly after their master. He looked over to her with a concerned glance. "Akane, are you certain you want to do this?" he asked.

Akane met her father's gaze with a curious one. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Training under my master," he said.

Akane hadn't really given the idea much thought since being thrust into the situation. She wondered if she really had a choice, since the usually free-spirit master seemed pretty adamant about it. Still, if given the choice, she believed she'd take it. Given the circumstance, she thought it was her best shot at helping Ranma. "I have to," she said.

"No, you don't," Soun said. "Akane, you should really think this through before committing."

Akane now gave her father a hard look that was all too common on her face. "You seem to be willing to do it yourself," she pointed out.

"That's different, I've trained under him before. I know what I'm getting into."

"Are you saying you think I can't handle it?" Akane asked, anger rising. She hated it when anyone looked down on her before she even had a chance to prove to them otherwise.

"No," Soun answered seriously. "You are my heir, not because of blood, but because of your dedication, talent, and potential. I know you can endure the master's training, no matter what methods he may use, though it may break my heart to watch."

Akane hadn't considered how her training might affect her father, or anyone else, for that matter. She was only ever concerned with being treated with respect, and given the same treatment as a martial artist. While she didn't like worrying her father, she needed to do this, both for herself, and for Ranma. "I appreciate your concern, but I have to do this."

Soun dropped his gaze in defeat. He didn't think his daughter would back down. Akane's fiery spirit was perhaps what burned brightest within the girl, and that same spirit burned now as she showed how determined she was to go through with the training. "Very well, but I want you to understand something." Soun looked into his daughter's eyes. "Happosai's training will change you."

Akane looked back into her father's eyes and saw the truth in them. He spoke with her in a tone that conveyed how serious he was. "You may think of Master Happosai as a perverted prankster of a man, but I assure you, he is more than that. His training will be hard on more than your body. Your very soul will be twisted."

Soun now looked at his daughter with concern. "Please, try and understand. It's not that I want to hold you back. I just don't want you coming back from this a different person. Your mother saved me from what I had become. While I consider Genma my best and longest friend, I cannot deny that he was not so lucky, or rather, Ranma wasn't."

Now, Akane was confused. She knew very little of Ranma's training before he came into her life. Her father was implying that Genma's methods were similar to Happosai's, and that was reason for sympathy. "But, Ranma seems to have come out okay," Akane admitted. Sure, he was a jerk sometimes, and had no tact when it came to words, but that was more the fault of his upbringing, rather than his training.

"True, Ranma is a fine young man," Soun agreed. Tears ran from his eyes as he clenched his fist to his last statement. "He is truly a great man to be so brave after facing such horrors."

Akane was frustrated with her dad's sudden turn to his usual antics, but also worried over what horrors he was thinking of. She always knew she had an easy life compared to Ranma's, but never once really considered how different. Now she was about to face those same challenges, and her father didn't seem too excited about it.

Soun stood up and looked down at Akane. She remained kneeling, seemingly lost in thought. He took a deep breath to clear his mind from the train of thought he'd been on. "Akane, I don't want you to think I'm trying to discourage you. I'm proud that you have this kind of dedication." His gaze fell then fell. "I just hope you're doing it for the right reasons. I did not."

Soun left Akane in the dojo to join the others in the house. She remained behind for a moment to think about his last words.

Akane wasn't exactly sure what her reasons were for undertaking the training. Was it to get Ranma back? Was it to prove she could do it? Was it just because she was finally given a chance for real training? She had to admit that all of those reasons owned part of the truth to her determination.

Akane looked over to her shrine and remembered her father saying she had saved him from what the training had done. "What should I do, mother?" she asked.

Only silence met Akane's question, not that she expected a verbal reply. Still, she'd been hoping for some inspiration or feeling to hit her.

With one last hopeful glance at the shrine, Akane stood up and left the dojo. When she was about to enter the house, she was stopped by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

"Hello, Akane," Cologne said from behind her.

Akane turned to see Cologne perched on her staff on the wall that surrounded her home. Shampoo and Mousse stood at her sides, both looking heavily armed, even for them. Shampoo had her usual chúi in her hands, but on her back was the sword she had first come to Japan with on her original hunt for Ranma, as well as a spear. Mousse, whom usually concealed all of his weapons, had a pair of swords on his back as well as a spear of his own.

"What's going on?" Akane asked nervously.

"We need to talk," Cologne answered.

The three Amazons hopped down, showing no sign of a threat to the girl. She lead them to where everyone was gathered in the family room with a growing sense of dread. When everyone saw the new arrivals, they showed differing levels of surprise, but greeted them. That left Akane to glance at the other new arrival that was sitting with her family.

"Oh, Akane, Ranma's friend Ukyo is here too," Kasumi said with a gesture to the okonomiyaki chef.

_Friend... right..._Akane thought with distaste for the girl that could be friendly one moment, and dangerous the next. Still, no sense in dredging up bad blood when there were more important things going on. "Hello, Ukyo," she said.

Ukyo looked up with a confused look. "Hey, Akane," she replied. She had yet to hear what was going on, but didn't miss how reluctant everyone looked when she asked where Ranma was. Now she saw Akane looking worse for the wear, and of all the crazy things, Shampoo was with her more heavily armed than she'd ever seen. "So, what's going on? Where's Ranma? Why's Shampoo here?"

Shampoo stepped forward and fixed the chef with a glare. "Shampoo ask same thing," she said with her weapons shifting ever so slightly in her hands. "Why spatula girl here?"

"Shampoo," Cologne said with warning.

Shampoo growled, but stepped back and calmed slightly. Her chúi were now dangling loosely at her sides.

Cologne gave her great granddaughter a warning look. "This is not our home," she stated. "We have no say in who gets to be here."

"Speaking of which," Soun spoke to try to break the tension between the girls. "What brings you here? Have you learned anything?"

"About what?" Ukyo asked, obviously annoyed with being out of the loop everyone else seemed to be in. "What the hell is going on?"

"Ranma is gone," Genma said from where he was sitting with his arms crossed. This earned him a sharp elbow to his side for his wife that caused him to wince, as it was sore from the workout he'd just done.

"What? Gone?" Ukyo's eyes were now wide.

"He's not gone," Akane corrected with an angry glare towards Genma.

Genma didn't wilt under Akane's glare like he usually did. He did, however, avert his gaze and mumble to himself about choice of words.

"If he's not gone, then where is he?" Ukyo asked.

Akane couldn't bring herself to utter the words, and looked away from the girl. No one else seemed to want to answer either, so Cologne took the lead.

"Ukyo, how much do you know about what Ranma's been going through the past couple of weeks?" she asked.

"Uh... only what I've heard from Ranma and Akane," she said. "Something about a really strong opponent coming for him, and how he was staying in his girl form while training to hide."

"Hmm, so you didn't know that this opponent was in fact a demon?"

Ukyo now looked up in surprise. "No, I had no idea."

"Well, it was. Ranma faced the demon last night and was possessed by it."

Ukyo tried to stand, but her legs were too weak from the shock of hearing the news. She looked up at the old woman's eyes helplessly, hoping this was some kind of sick joke, but saw nothing but absolute seriousness. She tried to repeat what she'd said, but could only mutter incoherently before the shock finally took her, and she fainted.

Ukyo's head hit the table with a loud thud, instantly waking her. She sat back up and rubbed her forehead while cursing to herself. "Ugh, that's going to leave a mark," she groaned.

"You took the news better than I thought you would," Cologne said. "I'm afraid there's more to hear, however."

Everyone now looked at the old woman while Shampoo and Mousse seemed to become nervous.

"So you did learn something," Nodoka said with a mixture of hope and dread.

"I did," Cologne nodded. "Last night, Mousse mentioned to me that the demon's true form was that of a black wolf, and how it reminded him of a folk tale our people tell to young children. Upon hear about the coincidence, I was reminded of a true story from our history."

Everyone listened as Cologne told the story of Xū, Perfume, and Míngxī. By the end of it, no one looked any happier, and a few looked even more broken than before.

"This Perfume sounds like quite the wife," Nabiki said with a touch of her usual sarcasm.

"Her sacrifice does not mean she was not devoted to her husband," Cologne countered.

"There's more than one way to show devotion," Nabiki said. She glanced to where her younger sister was sitting.

Akane was staring blankly. Her brain had stopped when Cologne said Perfume had killed her husband to release the demon. "You... you..." she tried to speak. She was gripping the table so hard it was cracking under her fingers. "You aren't suggesting..."

"That we kill Ranma to draw out the demon?" Cologne finished for her.

Akane glared at the old woman and her hands crushed the table where she'd been gripping it. "You're out of your mind!" she yelled. She then eyed the weapons on Shampoo and Mousse's backs. "And just what do you intend to do with those!" she asked while pointing at them.

"I am not suggesting that we go that far," Cologne said. "However, we can't allow ourselves to be unprepared. We can still think of alternatives, but I don't think we have much time."

Cologne pulled a book from her sleeve and held it up for everyone to see. It was severely worn, and had Chinese on its cover, so no one could figure out what it was. "This is a text that Perfume wrote about our people's conflict with Xū," Cologne answered the unasked question. "It details everything more than the basic history recording, as well as Perfume's more intimate struggle against the demon. In particular, it is the only written record of Xu's battle with Míngxī, as well as Perfume's battle with her possessed husband."

"What does it say?" Soun asked.

"Remember, I'm not certain that Xū is the same demon we face now," Cologne cautioned everyone. "However, based on Perfume's writing, we may know by tonight."

"Why?" Nodoka asked.

"According to Perfume, Xū did not have complete control over Wong Fei when she faced him. During the battle, she claims that the demon continually attacked her mind as much as her body. She noted how he was pleased whenever his words unbalanced her, but also how his power seemed to swell at her suffering. Her belief was that the demon was trying assert its control over Wong Fei's body by destroying those close to him."

Cologne now looked over to Akane. "If my suspicions are correct, he will return tonight."

Akane felt like ice water had replaced her blood. She didn't want to face him again so soon. She wasn't ready. Ranma's hateful eyes flashed in her mind, causing her to shiver.

"Why wait until night?" Genma asked. "I would seize the opportunity, and strike while we're still weak."

Cologne shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted. "I'm not sure what the night has to do with the demon, but perhaps until he has full control over a body, he cannot risk battle during the day. Before possessing Wong Fei, he fled to the shadows of the mountains after each night."

Genma hummed in thought while everyone else also contemplated what they'd just learned. They seemed to have more clues, but still no plan.

"So, Ranma's going to come after us tonight?" Ukyo asked suddenly.

"That _thing_ is not Ranma," Akane said loudly, scaring everyone from the intensity in her voice.

Everyone backed away from Akane and watched for her to do something. She had her fist on the table and was clenching her teeth. Her eyes were full of rampant fury that was barely under control.

Ukyo gulped at the fire in Akane's eyes. She wasn't sure why her rival said that the way she did, or what she was feeling at the moment. Ukyo wasn't even sure what she felt. She had no idea what they were dealing with.

"I believe that Ku will indeed return tonight," Cologne said. "Ranma doesn't have very many things in his life. I dare say, everyone important to him is in this room right now."

"Actually, Ryoga's been missing for a while," Akane said, of the only other person she knew of that Ranma would consider a friend.

Cologne squinted at her in a funny way. She knew Ranma tried not to hate anyone for whatever reason, but Ryoga? The elder would never think Ranma outright cared for him. Pitied, maybe. "You really think he's important to Ranma?" she asked.

"Well yeah," Akane answered. "He's Ranma's friend, right?"

Everyone looked away from Akane and coughed strangely. Unlike her, no one else had any delusions about Ranma's relationship with Ryoga. The only other person that seemed to agree with her was Kasumi. "Do you think we should contact him?" she asked.

Shampoo scoffed at the suggestion. "Stupid pig-boy get lost if we tell him come here," she said coldly. "Better chance of him showing up if he not trying."

Akane noted that Shampoo had used the same insult Ranma used for Ryoga. She didn't want to think that he was spreading that bullying to other people. Ryoga didn't deserve such treatment. She didn't want to bring it up right now though.

"Shampoo is right," Mousse said. "We can't worry about tracking down Ryoga. We have to focus on the demon."

Akane couldn't believe she had actually been side-tracked so easily. She shook her head to try to clear it and agreed. "You're absolutely right," she said. "We wouldn't know how to contact him anyway."

Ukyo now stood up from the table. "For Ranma!" she declared.

Shampoo said nothing as the two girls affirmed their intentions to fight for Ranma's sake. She could feel similar words pushing to get through her teeth, but she chewed her lower lip until they died down. She hated having to restrain herself like this, but she wouldn't slip again.

From there, the conversation shifted to planning what to do about Ku's possible return that night. They agreed that everyone should be prepared to fight, but Cologne cautioned them all against trusting any apparent weaknesses or openings. If this was the same demon from her history, it would attempt to use trickery as a means of breaking them.

They discussed strategy, possible ideas, and resolving issues people had with the imminent task. It was during this time Cologne brought up the possible solutions she'd come across. Some of the ideas sounded preposterous, but others gave the people at the table reason to think. Most of them couldn't be done if the demon returned tonight, but some could.

The discussion went on for over an hour. It was honestly the only time any of them spent so much time planning for a fight. By the end of it, everyone understood what they had to do.

Lunch was finally served after a plan was agreed to. Everyone ate quickly before heading outside to prepare for the coming battle while Cologne remained in the family room in meditation to recoup more strength.

Akane found the afternoon tense for reasons beyond Ku's potential return. She was training with Genma and Soun outside while Happosai worked them through various exercises. The old master was quite harsh with them all, pounding them into the ground for even the slightest mistake in form, or lapse in concentration. This was his way of making up for the fact that they couldn't train as he had planned, since that would have left them unable to fight that night.

Akane was rubbing her side during a short break when she finally looked over to the others. Shampoo and Mousse were kneeling next to each other while sharpening their various weapons. Both of them had their eyes downcast to focus on the task, but Akane could have sworn that every now and then Shampoo flashed her a very unpleasant look.

It wasn't that Akane was afraid Shampoo was going to suddenly decide to make good on her kiss of death. What worried her is what the look said about the future. She was on a one-way trip to facing Shampoo in a battle of honor if they couldn't think of a way to settle things with her.

That look also told her Shampoo may be aware of how things between them were going to end. No doubt, she wasn't as uneasy about the idea, if those looks weren't just Akane's imagination.

Kneeling perpendicular to them, Ukyo was also sharpening her weapons. She had quite a few of her throwing spatulas laid out beside her, as well as her usual assortment of explosives.

Akane wondered what Ukyo thought of all this. She hadn't been able to talk to her yet, and was worried what her mental state might be at the moment. While she was a capable fighter, Akane just wasn't sure if it was a good idea to have her thrust into things so suddenly. She wasn't so sure of herself, even, and she knew a lot more about what was going on.

"Alright, breaks over!" Happosai yelled.

Akane and the others groaned as they got to their feet. They'd been training for a couple hours, and it'd been excruciating. She didn't want to think what the real training was going to be like after this "light" training. She couldn't believe this still wasn't as hard as Ranma's childhood had been. Part of her now wept for the former child.

While the four went back to their drills, the remaining three martial artists continued to sharpen their weapons in silence.

Ukyo felt tense as she sharpened her spatulas. She may have been just imagining it, but she could have sworn Shampoo was looking at her like she was going to murder her in her sleep more than once.

Ukyo's mind flashed back to when Shampoo had attacked Akane, and she came to her aid. Shampoo seemed to intent on going through with it back then, but now she was in Akane's house, and no one seemed to think it was a big deal. She was just sitting there in the yard, sharpening any number of weapons that could be used to finish what she started that day, and Akane was ignoring her.

Something about the situation she was in stunk, but she couldn't figure out reasons for it. It could be that Ranma's possession just overran Shampoo's recent turn, but she was more the type to try to save him on her own. That would certainly win her some points.

Then, there was Akane. She was naive, trusting, even of the most questionable characters. Hell, Ukyo herself had tried to get her out of the way in some pretty harsh ways. Each time, Akane seemed forgiving for some strange reason. That still didn't make this easy to accept for the chef, however. Shampoo had tried to kill her in broad daylight. Not even Akane would be forgiving of something that direct.

Ukyo tried to figure things out while she glanced around at everyone. She was missing something important. Still, her most violent rival made no move, or even said a word, so she tried to ignore her suspicions.

As she finished sharpening the last of her throwing spatulas, Ukyo thought about what to expect. The story everyone had spun sounded too crazy to be true, but she had no doubt that anything powerful enough to defeat her Ranchan was no joking matter.

Speaking of no joking matter, Ukyo looked over to where Akane was doing training exercises with the others. She hadn't seen Akane do any fighting since the day Shampoo had tried to kill her. That wasn't even a week ago to the day, but the chef couldn't believe how much better she'd gotten since then. Her movements were more fluid and her agility was sharper.

Ukyo didn't like the idea that Akane was increasing in skill all of a sudden. She was sure that the Tendo girl was her main competition, and always counted her superiority in martial arts as an advantage. Now, that advantage seemed to be slipping away.

Ukyo bit down her current train of thought. There were more important things than the fiancée rivalry right now.

Shampoo finished sharpening her sword and sheathed it before tossing it over her shoulder. She'd been thinking about what the sword might be used to do each time she slid it over the whet stone. The thought of killing Ranma was unbearable, but she knew she had to prepare herself to do it. She couldn't afford to be weak if it came to that, or it could be her dying instead.

Shampoo suppressed a shiver and ignored the numbness in her stomach. Death was something that was openly discussed in her tribe. She'd grown up learning about great honor in death, or delivering it for justice. As a child, those stories had been like empowering dreams, but the thought of really killing someone made her feel ice cold.

She couldn't believe in her rage she'd actually tried to kill Akane just a few days ago. If she had succeeded, she wasn't sure if her mind would have been able to handle it. She didn't know how she would handle taking part in killing Ranma either. Would she break? Would she change? All of the stories she heard as a child proved one thing, those kills marked the beginning of a new phase in each of those peoples' lives.

Now that she was finished sharpening her weapons, she glanced to where Akane was training. She could tell that she was getting better. Her movements showed a grace and sharpness that hadn't been there before.

Shampoo gave the girl a hard look while she studied her movements. To everyone else, it may have seemed she was looking at her with the intent to kill, but the truth was, she always looked like that when studying a potential opponent. That was her game-face, as some would call it.

Beside her, Mousse finished sharpening his various weapons and replaced the whet stones into his sleeves. He stood up and watched the martial artists train as well, although his eyes were unseen behind his large glasses.

Mousse was the odd man out of the group. He really didn't have much of connection to Ranma, but he was not cruel man, despite his past actions. He wouldn't wish the fate of living as an empty shell possessed by a demon on anyone. He also couldn't just stand by while a demon caused such emotional damage to Shampoo.

Mousse looked over to his childhood crush and addressed her for the first time since they began sharpening their weapons. "Shampoo, shall we do some training as well?" he asked.

Shampoo glanced over and nodded. While she never trained with partners, she wasn't really thinking straight and was just glad for the distraction.

Shampoo followed Mousse when he hopped onto the roof of the wall that surrounded the house. The two took different stances, Shampoo with her chúi in a balanced form and Mousse taking a more open crane stance. Without a word between them, the two Amazons began to spar.

The rest of the day continued on without incident. Everyone rested after dinner until the sun finally set. As the night grew darker, the martial artists all stood around the roof of the house and its surrounding wall, keeping watch for any sign of Ranma.

Akane found the silence unsettling as she looked over the horizon. She usually enjoyed any peace and quiet she could get from her hectic life, but now it just seemed foreboding.

They'd been on the roof for over an hour already, with no sign of the demon. Akane found the wait almost unbearable, and felt like screaming. She looked to see how everyone else was holding up, hoping maybe she wasn't the only one that was so frustrated. To her dismay, everyone else seemed more calm.

Genma and Soun were standing side-by-side as they watched from the north wall. The two looked like textbook martial artist, standing at the ready to face whatever danger might come.

On the east wall, Shampoo and Mousse were pacing slowly from the corners to the center. Shampoo had her chúi in her hands while Mousse kept his sleeves together in front of his waist, obviously ready to use his chains at any sign of action.

On the west wall, Ukyo and Cologne were both standing still a few paces apart. They both appeared like statues as they stood gazing to where the sun had set hours ago.

That left the southern wall, which was under guard by Happosai. The midget master may have been alone on his side, but his senses allowed him to keep watch on the entire property from where he stood. He did not even have his eyes open as he kept his focus on the flowing chi surrounding him for any sign of the void that Ku created.

Akane was placed in the center of the household atop the roof. She didn't like being treated like she was the most helpless, but Cologne and her father had insisted for different, but equally strong reasons.

The general idea was that Ku was going to come for her first, since he'd been unable to attack her last night. Soun and Genma obviously didn't have that effect on him, and it was assumed that Cologne and Happosai were also fair game. The remaining three were their wild cards. They were on the outside wall in case in turns out Ku has trouble attacking them as well. Any pause in his advance would give everyone else time to react.

If Ku decided on the assumed open paths, their plan also accounted for that. Soun, Genma, and Happosai were all proficient in producing auras on command. If Ku attacked from their directions, they would light up like flares, signaling everyone to come, hopefully before the demon got there.

Akane let out a deep breath. She needed to calm down. They were ready this time, and the demon would be weakened, thanks to Ranma's resistance. Everything was going to work out.

Across the yard from her, Ukyo was having doubts of her own, and failing to push them away. Cologne was unwilling to speak about matters as long as they were keeping watch, and the old lady's seriousness made her feel sick with worry.

Cologne was silent as she probed with her senses. She could sense the worry in everyone, but didn't let it bother her. She was nervous herself. Everyone's chi flowed around her like fireflies in the open space between them. The old woman looked further, but found nothing out of the ordinary.

Back atop the house, Akane watched everyone keeping a vigilant watch. Rarely did she ever see everyone working together like this. She was sure that together they could beat this demon once and for all, even if they didn't know how to get it out of Ranma's body. That was the one detail that worried her.

Akane looked up at the moon hanging in the sky. She remembered the countless times she'd climb up the ladder to find Ranma gazing up to that moon and the surrounding stars. Those were the rare times when she saw the true unguarded Ranma, the one that wasn't concerned with how manly he appeared. He would gaze upwards with the strangest look in his eyes, as if he was lost and searching for answers.

That's what Akane was hoping for now, as she gazed at the moon in the same way Ranma did in her memories. She'd always wondered what Ranma was thinking whenever he stargazed, but never got the chance to ask. Once he realized she was there, the glint in his eye would vanish back behind his mask, and he'd put up his walls again.

Of course, she didn't realize back then that was what was happening. She was too busy hiding behind her own walls to ever notice anything so slight. She just assumed she must've been seeing things.

Akane let out a sigh and dropped her gaze from the moon. She had missed a lot of details about Ranma and herself over the past year and a half. Just when things were finally changing, and she could see what she was missing, everything was falling apart. When this was over, when they finally had some time, she was going have a real talk with him.

While Akane continued to switch from worry over the coming battle to sulking over her past stupidity, Cologne watched her with her sixth sense from the west wall. The old woman didn't know what the girl was thinking, but her erratic chi flow made it plainly obvious she wasn't keeping calm or focused. She was about to consider hopping over there to give her a quick talk when a sudden shift caught her attention.

A sudden chill alerted the old woman, and she whipped her head back forward. She refocused her sixth sense, and spotted the strange presence moving towards them rapidly.

The presence cut through the energy in the air like a black void. Cologne immediately knew what it was, and hopped off of her staff to twirl it in front of her. "He's here!" she shouted.

"What?" Ukyo looked forward at a blur bounding towards them over the rooftops in the distance. She couldn't see what it was in the darkness, but trusted Cologne's claims and pulled her battle spatula out.

The blur bounded over them and landed on their wall. Ukyo turned slowly to look at what had come to them. She could now see that the blur had in fact been a person, whom now was crouched with his back to them.

The man stood up slowly and turned to face Ukyo and Cologne. Ukyo's eyes could barely make out the man standing in the darkness of night, but his appearance was unmistakable.

Standing just twenty feet away, Ranma, in one of his white Chinese vests and a sword slung on his back, gave Ukyo an intense look. His eyes were hard, like they looked when he was ready to face a challenge, but his body was relaxed. "Hello Ucchan," he said.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Some readers have come forward with their opinion on Ranma's possession. It doesn't seem to be a popular turn in the story, and I can sympathize with that feeling on the matter. I will admit that I also do not like possession stories. While it is certainly a valid plot mechanism, it's just not something I've ever really enjoyed reading too much.

Having said that, it probably seems ridiculous that I've chosen to write one, because this was something that was planned from the start. This story, however, is not about the possession. It is about Ranma and Akane's journeys of self discovery. I wanted to write a story that centered on Ranma discovering something about himself, and the way in which it happens isn't possible without the possession. It's also going to make for what I think is going to be a really epic final battle.

I hope the next few chapters that start to delve into that will help people along to seeing what I mean.

**poseidon's son:** Hard to say on the chapter count. I do have a rough estimate, but it does depend on how much I can get done with each chapter. Some things end up taking more words than planned, some less. Also consider that Ranma's journey will be happening at the same time separately, so it's not quite a straight shot to the end.

**psychicshipping:** Well, those personalities are what make them so interesting in the first place. While it is hard, I do find it fun to write something that is viewed as accurate.

**AliceTheBookGirl**: Yes, all of Ranma's greatest enemies do seem to come from China. Of course, the legend of Xū does not actually say that's where the demon came from. It is simply his appearance in Amazon history.

You've covered a lot of bases with your theories, and I will plead the fifth on them.

**Compucles:** I'm not entirely sure how that ends in the anime, but in the manga, Akane never gets the stuffed pig back. After Ranma is thrown into the ring, the stuffed pig just conveniently never shows up again the rest of the scene.

As for the Amazons missing the details regarding Ku, none of them saw the wolf form, and had no reason to think of it until then. Only Cologne knew the true story of Xū, and was unconscious at the time.

**OddWallow:** Glad you found the story so engaging you had to plow through it. I'll try to keep the updates coming at a steady pace to the end.

The green chi that manifests into an aura around the ninja is the demon using his energy as attacks. In my story, Ranma's chi is not blue, but the color is actually from the user being in a balanced state while fighting. For the most part, that is how it's been in the anime, although the only other color to ever show up, to my knowledge, is red, whenever Akane's absolutely pissed. Blue has also been used for anger, such as in the Christmas OVA, but for my story it's an aura free of emotion. The green color that Ku uses is just to make him unique.

I do think I've handled Ryoga a little oddly. I focused a lot on his tendency to jump to conclusions, and see what he wants to see. That translated into a strange road I couldn't stray from, but I'm working on straightening it out. As for his shared understanding with Ranma and mutual respect, I hardly think it's really there. If one thing was made clear, it's that Ryoga will often times say things to attempt to be the bigger man after losing, and he backpedals on those moments quite often.

There really is no reason to fully believe he's over Akane by the end of the manga, even though he silently decides to stay out of the way. His wording suggests he's not really okay with it, but hopes he can come to terms with it by going away for a long time. I'm writing him as still being in that state of confusion. While it's been pointed at already for being inaccurate for when this story takes place, it's also impossible to really rewrite. So the patching will come later.

**Maximara:** My use of Xū comes from xū kong, which can be translated as "void" or "nothingness". Wu is "nothing/nothingness". While they have similar meanings in English, Chinese and Japanese don't have the same system for synonyms. As such, wu is a very simple way of saying nothingness, while xū kong is more mystical. As for choosing to only use the xū part, that actually deals with my choosing Ku. You are correct in that mu is the Japanese counterpart to wu. However, I chose Ku as the original Japanese name for the demon, because ku is "void" in the five element system in Japan. I did take some liberties, but there it is.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	24. Torment

Ranma didn't have any idea how long she'd been out when she finally opened her eyes again. At least, she thought her eyes were open. It was hard to tell since all she could see surrounding her was infinite darkness. After taking a few blinks, and feeling her lids, she confirmed her eyes were indeed open, and she was awake.

While the area around her was dark, it was not from lack of light. In fact, her body was emitting a faint white glow, which made her feel ice cold in the stomach. It only conjured her beliefs of what ghosts must look like.

"No! I'm not dead!" Ranma shouted to the vast emptiness around her.

Ranma felt around by waving her right hand about. She could tell she was surrounded by some kind of substance, because she felt like she was underwater. She also noticed that her body seemed to be floating, rather than lying on a surface. Despite all that, Ranma found that she could breath easily enough.

"Breathing... that's good, right?" Ranma asked herself like her brain was going to somehow answer back. "Ghosts don't breathe, do they?"

Ranma held her hand up in front of her face to look at it. It was as expected, pale and small, just like when she'd passed out. She waved it back and forth, noting the black mist that it cut through.

"Where am I?" Ranma asked herself. She thought about the last moments she could remember. There was the sphere of blue light, and the tiny spec of golden light. Then there was the darkness surrounding it from all directions, and her body sinking into it before everything went blank.

"So I'm in the darkness of that demon," Ranma said. She exhaled with a heavy sigh. "I'm not really awake, am I?"

No answer came, but Ranma thought she heard faint laughter echoing in the distance.

Ranma didn't know what was going on, but she wasn't about to wait for something to happen. She rolled forward until she was floating upright in the darkness and started to swim forward, or, at least she hoped she was moving forward. It was hard to tell if she was actually moving through the abyss she was floating in.

While she had no idea if she was making progress, things did start to happen around her. The laughter she thought that she had heard before returned, this time loud enough to be sure it was real.

Ranma stopped and looked around for the source of the laughter. She couldn't see anything through the black mist however, and stumbled blindly after the sound.

The laughter eventually stopped, casting Ranma into silence again. She no longer had anything to guide her through the mist, so she stopped trying to swim and just floated there.

Suddenly, the growl of a wolf came from behind her. Ranma turned quickly and was surprised to actually see something appear through the mist. An opening seemed to blow forth, revealing a blurry image.

As the mist cleared, the image came into focus. Ranma gazed through the opening like a window into another world. She saw what appeared to be a shingled roof during the night. Strangely, she thought she recognized that roof, but with so little to go on, she wasn't sure. Then, the image moved higher and turned around, revealing Ukyo holding her battle spatula.

"Ucchan?" Ranma said questionably. She wondered what she was seeing, as it certainly was not a memory.

Again, the laughter came from behind, this time closer than before. Ranma spun around to try to spot the source, but was met with darkness as the sound passed right through her with a gust of mist.

As the mist passed through her body, numbness spread through her lungs along with a throbbing pain in her head. She lurched forward and gasped for air while holding her head tightly. It felt like something was being pulled out of her with the mist.

After the mist finished blowing through her, Ranma felt the numbness and pain fade away. She turned back around to where the mist had moved, and watched the opening into what she believed to be the real world.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter XXIV: Torment**

* * *

Ukyo chewed her lower lip while she faced Ku. She examined Ranma's appearance closely, looking for any evidence that what everyone said was true. The tone he had spoken with was a little off, and the look in his eyes was different, but it didn't seem like what everyone had described.

Ukyo hesitated as Ku continued to gaze at her in a strange way. She'd been mentally preparing herself since coming to the Tendo property to face this. For hours, she recalled every detail given to her, and that this was not the Ranma she knew. Yet, her eyes saw Ranma, and her heart screamed Ranma. Her mind, which had been focused just a moment before, was now beginning to haze.

"What's the matter, Ucchan?" he asked.

"Don't listen to him, Ukyo!" Cologne yelled.

Ku glanced passed Ukyo to the old woman looking at him with a threatening glare. "Ah, so the old ghoul is here," he said.

Cologne didn't waste any time and attacked Ku. She launched herself with her staff at Ku, whom remained perfectly still. The two fought just like Cologne did with Ranma, trading flurries of blows that didn't land single hit. The old woman could tell right away that the demon was in better control than before, despite now using an aura yet.

Ku traded punches with Cologne's staff with a growing smile. He matched her strike for strike, before finally catching her staff and halting their match. He pulled her so that their faces were only a few inches apart and gazed at her questionably. "Why fight me?" he asked. "Once the others are out of the way, you can finally get what you want. I'll be together with Shampoo."

Cologne was taken aback by the statement, but recovered her wits quickly. She glared at him defiantly. "You can't fool me with your cheap tricks."

Ku gave a twisted grin and tightened his grip on her robe. "Oh, but can the same be said for your precious little heir?" he asked.

Before Cologne could reply, Ku charged his hands with a green aura that bit against the old woman's skin and threw her over Ukyo. Cologne flipped as she flew over Ukyo's head and landed safely, but dropped to a knee before holding herself up with her staff. Her body tingled with numbness where Ku's aura had touched her.

Ukyo wasn't sure about what was going on. She felt like something was picking at her heart as she stared at Ku standing before her. Her brain screamed for her to attack, but her heart hung onto the words he had spoken. She thought it sounded like Ranma wanted her. "R-Ranchan?" she asked.

Ku's gaze softened as he turned his gaze to her, but it was still intense. He walked up to her and entranced her with his eyes. She looked into those dark pools and found herself getting lost in them as if they were swallowing her whole.

Ukyo felt like she was falling, but couldn't tear herself away. She thought she heard someone calling to her, as if screaming, but it sounded so far away.

"Ukyo!" Akane screamed from the roof of the house. She couldn't reach her from where she was and everyone else hadn't yet gotten there.

Ku flashed a smirk that drew Ukyo further in. The smirk carried the same confidence that Ranma usually wore and it took her breath away. "She doesn't want this to happen, Ucchan," he whispered.

Ukyo continued to star unblinking into Ku's eyes. Her hazy mind slowly worked through what he was whispering to her. "She doesn't? Akane?"

Ku's eyes widened, pulling her in closer. "She doesn't want us being close."

"I don't..." Ukyo felt light headed. She couldn't think straight. Her eyes felt like they were on fire in sharp contrast to her body that now seemed weightless.

"Ukyo, get away from him!" Soun yelled loudly. He was just reaching the bend of the wall with Genma.

"But he wants this," Ukyo said lifelessly.

"That's right, Ucchan," Ku said. He still wore a smirk, but it was becoming twisted as she fell for him. "You just have to do one thing, and it can all come true."

"One thing..."

"Ah! how nice of you to show up for a little rematch!" came a shrill cry.

Happosai suddenly appeared beside Ukyo with a bucket of water. He jumped up and latched onto Ku's side before the demon even realized he was there.

Ku tried to get Happosai off by swiping at him, but the crafty martial artist slipped away each time.

"Oh ho, you'll have to do better than that!" Happosai laughed as he dodged Ku's feeble attempts to hit him. He could already tell the difference between the demon now and when he was in his last body. As he crawled up onto Ku's head, he thought this was almost too easy.

With Ku's attention gone, Ukyo felt gravity's hold hit her like a ton of bricks. She blinked several times until the haze finally cleared, leaving her woozy. She stumbled back a step before her knees gave out beneath her.

Happosai grinned as he dodged Ku's hands that tried to grab him from his perch on his head. He was holding a bucket in one hand and smiled. "Let's take you down a notch!" he said. He tipped the bucket of cold water over Ku, expecting him to change, but was shocked when nothing happened. "What?"

Ku stood there fuming at the old man's intentions. He produced a thin green aura around his entire body, showing how far he'd come in mastering control over Ranma, and growled. "Disappointed?," he hissed.

Happosai fell off of Ku and looked at him in shock before turning to sadness. "They're gone," he croaked. "Those two beauties are gone!"

"That's right, you'll never see them ever again," Ku said with a laugh.

"We told you he changed back without hot water, you stupid pervert!" Akane yelled from the house. "Stop fooling around!"

"I bet it just kills you inside," Ku said with a crazed look in his eyes. "How does it feel knowing they're gone forever?"

"No... No!" Happosai cried. "You'll pay for this injustice!"

Happosai attacked Ku in a blind rage. He attacked with his pipe, fists, legs, and even his head, anything to make Ku pay for what he'd done.

The demon avoided Happosai's exaggerated attacks with ease, smirking the entire time.

Happosai continued to attack Ku madly. While futile, it did distract him long enough for Soun and Genma to reach them and join the fight. His two students joined the fray, attacking the demon together.

Ku blocked the trio's attacks swiftly, but didn't give any counters. He moved his gaze between each of them, choosing his target. When he looked at Genma, he felt nothing, but when his eyes fell on Soun he got just what he was looking for.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ranma didn't like what she was seeing as she peered through the opening in the mist. She could hear everything happening in the opening, confirming her fears.

"I must be possessed," Ranma said to herself.

Through the opening in the mist, Ranma witnessed as Ukyo fell under the demon's spell. The entire opening was filled by her stricken face. Ranma looked helplessly into her eyes and recognized the mixture of emotions held in their light blue pools.

Ranma hated that look. She hated it because it tore at her heart every time. She knew that look was because of her, but what made it so hard was that she had no idea what to do about it.

"Ukyo..."

The image in the opening began to shake as Happosai's voice laughed from nearby. Ranma watched as Ku attempted to fight off the midget, noting his sluggish reflexes, before having a bucket of water dumped on him.

"Oh, that little pervert..." Ranma growled by reflex.

To Ranma's surprise, it didn't appear as if Ku had changed into his girl form from the water. She heard her male voice taunt Happosai, and looked at her hands. "What the hell is going on?"

Happosai attacked, followed soon after by Ranma's father and Soun. Ranma watched as the opening shifted between each of the fighters as if sizing them up. "Come on, old man," she said as the opening stopped on her father. "This guy doesn't have my speed, you can take him!"

The opening shifted back to Soun as Ku blocked a straight fist. Ranma wasn't so certain of Soun's skills, since he didn't keep in practice like her father did. She hated the idea of him coming to harm this way, even if he was a crazy fool at times. There was something else tugging at the edge of her heart regarding Soun Tendo, however.

Ranma tried to ignore the feeling. While her upbringing had caused her to be rough around the edges, Ranma always understood there were lines that shouldn't be crossed. While it had never been explicitly spoken to her, she always believed the owner of the home she lived in should never be harmed, especially when it's the father of your fiancé. The thought of doing that was a sure fire way to earn a one-way ticket to dishonor hell.

Ranma struggled with what was going through her head. She kept telling herself this wasn't her doing this, but at the same time, she also believed she should be able to stop this. She tried with all of her might to exert some measure of control, but nothing she did seemed to alter the situation, and she found her body continue to fight the only people close to her.

"Damn it," she said.

The laughter returned, almost like she was standing within whatever was giving it. She swatted around herself in vain, trying to shoo away the noise, but it did no good. While she continued to strain every fiber of her being in an attempt to gain control, the darkness only tightened around her. The laughter once again changed to growling.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ku's lips twisted into a smile as he danced through the flurry of attacks by the trio of martial artists. While he wasn't yet in full control, he was far enough along to easily keep up with the three with one of them being so unbalanced.

Indeed, Happosai was not faring well as he attacked Ku with his rage. The old grand master was a martial artist of incredible skill and a vast well of techniques. His old age and way of training, however, have left him in a precarious situation as far as battle was concerned. His endurance wasn't what it used to be, and like his power, relied heavily on him recharging, as he called it, through female auras. That was something he'd neglected to do this past day.

After just a minute, Happosai felt himself wearing down. His rage still burned in his body, but the coldness of exhaustion was slowly spreading. Acting in desperation, he pulled a pair of bombs from his gi. "Time to warm up to some happo fire burst!" he declared.

At the sight of the bombs, Soun and Genma stepped back and allowed their master to make his move. He dove for Ku with the bombs raised and threw them simultaneously.

Ku batted away one of the bombs and caught the other. While the deflected bomb flew into Genma's stomach, Ku shoved the one in his hand into Happosai's mouth. He held it there while Happosai tried to pry it from his giant maw.

Genma went tumbling backwards from being hit by Happosai's bomb. He grabbed it instinct, which only kept the explosive pinned to him until it blew up, leaving him smoking in a crater on the roof of the wall.

As the fuse neared the bomb in Happosai's mouth, Ku charged his hand with green aura. The explosion sent Happosai flying towards the house while Ku's aura absorbed the blast and protected him before fading.

Akane had to dive to the side as Happosai came flying in like a rocket. She looked back to where he bounced on and over the top of the roof, spiraling out of sight to the ground on the other side.

"And he thinks I need help with endurance?" she groaned.

Shampoo and Mousse both arrived onto the roof of the house from their wall and stood by where Akane was getting up.

"It would seem the demon's in better control now," Mousse said.

"He's still not up to full strength though," Akane said.

"We strike now!" Shampoo yelled and prepared to leap from the roof.

"Not yet!" Mousse shouted. He gripped Shampoo's wrist while thrusting his other arm in front of Akane.

"Why you stop Shampoo?" Shampoo demanded.

"We can't all go at him at once," Mousse reasoned. "We'll only get in each other's way."

Shampoo growled, but had to admit that Mousse was right. There was no space to maneuver on the thin roof of the wall Ku was on, so they couldn't all gang up on him there.

"Also, Don't forget the plan," Mousse said.

"But we can't just stand here," Akane countered.

"We won't," Mousse said with a sly smile. "A bird of prey always keeps watch, striking at the right moment."

Akane wanted to point out that a bird of prey also typically didn't have the eyesight of a bat, but saw the logic to his plan. She knew that everyone attacking at once would only complicate things on the already crowded roof.

Across the yard from the trio, Soun was facing off with Ku while Ukyo and Cologne were just managing to get to their feet, The two women were shaking for different reasons, but didn't look ready to throw in the towel.

Soun grounded himself with his chi as he fought against Ku alone. The technique he'd invented allowed him to stand against a superior opponent such as this through shear will. His body was hardened against Ku's blows, and his own strikes could crumble walls with ease. Soun felt his old fighting spirit returning with each exchange of fists and kicks.

Ku was impressed that Soun could withstand his attacks, but the longer he struggled, the better. He felt a wince deep within him each time his fist broke through the man's defense and struck his reinforced body.

While the two men fought, Ukyo was just getting her wits back. She shook the cobwebs from her head and lifted her battle spatula. "What the hell was that," Ukyo asked of what she'd just experienced. "It felt like I was being drained."

"The demon uses tricks to fool you into being unbalanced," Cologne explained as she perched onto her staff. "He is capable of far worse than you experienced just now."

"He won't fool me again," Ukyo said as she firmed her grip. She prepared to leap in the second a window opened, as did Cologne.

Soun continued to hold his ground, but his years of neglect eventually caught up with him. His chi reserves began to run out, and his technique weakened. Each punch he took could now be felt, and even forced him to step back slowly.

"What's the matter, Mr. Tendo?" Ku asked as he struck the side of his leg with a kick. "Regretting all those years you didn't keep up the art?"

Soun bit down his feelings of regret and tried to force a second wind. He dug as deep as he could into his reserves and firmed his stance against the stinging strikes.

"It really is all your fault for giving up when your wife died," Ku spat as he landed a punch to Soun's stomach.

Soun grunted as much from Ku's words as he did from the force of the punch against his stomach. He staggered backwards and put up a feeble defense as Ku followed him with a menacing look in his eyes.

"All those years wasting away in silence while your daughter's suffered," Ku continued. He stepped into Soun's defensive stance and slapped aside his arms. A quick twist of his foot and bend of his knee locked Soun in place. "Did you think Ranma wouldn't find out?" he asked mockingly. "Did you think your shame was so well hidden? You're a blind fool to miss the look in everyone's eyes all these years." Ku leaned in close and gazed into Soun's eyes with his own, expanding them into pools of infinite darkness."You're the reason Akane's art has suffered so."

Soun stared helplessly into the darkness as the truth of Ku's words formed in his mind. Of course he was a selfish fool for allowing his sadness to harm those closest to him. He'd spent years building walls to shield himself, and convince him that everything had turned out okay. Now, however, it felt just like the day his wife passed away.

Soun fell deeper into the darkness of Ku's eyes. The demon's words mixed with his painful memories, magnifying the details he'd ignored for so long. His arms fell limply to his sides and his legs were ready to collapse beneath him.

"Daddy!" Akane shouted from where she stood on the roof of the house.

"Not good," Mousse said under his breath. While he couldn't see clearly in the darkness, he could tell by Akane that things were not going well. "Don't forget the plan." he said and slipped away to the side into the shadows.

"Now, you will reap what you've sowed," Ku said. He cupped Soun's chin with his right hand and turned his face towards the house. He could See Akane standing on the roof looking back at him with fear in her eyes. "Look at her eyes one last time, Tendo. I am going to break her. I will crush the life out of her. Then, you will know the depths of your failure."

Soun tried to break from his trance, but couldn't look at his youngest daughter and mumble incoherently. He saw those brown eyes gazing back. They looked the same as they did ten years ago when his wife died. She had looked at him for help then, for support. All he had done was turn away, lost to his own sorrow.

Ku breathed in Soun's crippling despair and grinned. He felt his strength fill him slowly. Yes, he was going to enjoy this. His last host had been so secluded, it was hardly enjoyable to assert himself over him. This Ranma, however, had so much to lose. The people around him were so tightly wound together without even realizing it too.

Ku's relishing of Soun was broken when something large and heavy smashed him from behind. He dropped Soun to the ground and growled at the interruption. Soun laid still where he was dropped while Ku turned to see which of the fools had been so bold only to see Ukyo.

Ukyo's battle spatula rang loudly from striking him on the head as she pulled back a few steps. She glared back at him despite her nervousness and pulled a pair of small spatulas from her bandolier. "You're going to pay for what you did to me," she said.

"And what would that be, Ucchan?" he asked. "Still sour over your family cart?"

Ukyo's cheeks blew up from the breath she wanted to blow out in a fit of rage, but she focused on Cologne's warning. "I'm past all that," she lied. "I'm not out for revenge against Ranma or Genma anymore."

"Is that so?" Ku asked. "Your actions speak otherwise. That was a pretty hard hit to the head you gave me just now."

"_You_ are not Ranma," Ukyo said back coldly.

"Heh, it's for the best anyway," Ku replied with an uncaring tone. "It's not like you stood a chance."

"What?"

"Oh... you don't get it, do you?" Ku stepped forward with a smile. "I may not be Ranma, but I possess more than just his body. I also own his mind, and all that comes with it."

Ukyo raised her spatulas to defend herself as Ku advanced another step. "So what?" she asked.

"Ukyo," Cologne warned the girl sternly from behind her. She didn't want a repeat of last time, and vaulted over her to stand between them. "Enough of your games, Ku," she said. "Or should I say Xū?"

Ku stopped and looked down at the short woman with his eyebrows raised. "Well... there's a name I haven't heard in a long time," he said. "I guess the secret's out. Does it scare you?"

"Hardly," Cologne squinted at him. "You lost back then, and you will lose again."

Ku laughed with genuine amusement before taking a stance and summoning a thin battle aura. "You don't have it in you, old woman," he gloated. "None of you do."

"You probably thought the same thing about Perfume," Cologne replied.

Ku gave no words in response to the mention of Perfume. His face was now deadly serious. He didn't waste another breath on talking, and ran to attack.

Cologne stood still in front of Ukyo as Ku charged them. She had been keeping all of her senses open during their little standoff, and waited for what she knew was coming.

As Ku made to throw the first punch, chains came flying from above. They wrapped around each arm, holding them back as Mousse landed behind him.

Cologne took advantage of Mousse's surprise attack and pummeled Ku with a flurry of her staff. She hit him in his chest and torso relentlessly, sending him backwards.

Ku fought against the chains around his arms while the old woman battered him with hits. While he was certainly stronger than Mousse, Cologne's attacks were stopping him from using that strength to break free. He decided to instead go for Mousse, and dropped backwards. The maneuver took the boy by surprise, dropping him onto his back while Ku escaped the slackened chains.

Ku rolled backwards over Mousse and slipped off the loosened chains. He sprang off of Mousse's face at the end of his roll and met Cologne in midair combat. Now he matched her kachu tenshin amaguriken with his own. The two traded countless blows, but neither gained an advantage before separating to land a few meters apart.

"You're skilled for one so old," Ku said. "But you lack the fighting spirit Perfume had." He shifted his eyes to where Shampoo was standing beside Akane. "Perhaps she'll offer more excitement? She felt oh so good last night."

"You foul creature!" Cologne hissed. "You dare insult my family!"

"No," Ku said grimly. "I dare insult your pathetic tribe. When I'm finished with you, I'm going to return to China and raze your village to the ground."

Cologne began to glow blue from her growing aura. Her white hair floated upward from the energy radiating around her. "You'll have to get through me first," she said.

Ku laughed and summoned his own aura, which now glowed brighter than earlier. "Time is not on your side."

Cologne created a gust of wind that carried her through the air towards Ku. She slashed with her staff as she flew past him, and twirled it to block his counter. The power behind his fist was getting stronger, even during the short time since he'd arrived.

Cologne didn't like the direction the fight was going as she struggled against his blows. Unlike Ranma, Ku had no qualms with meeting blows head on, rather than dodge them. Each impact against her staff rattled her old bones, and she couldn't possibly hope to keep up much longer.

"Mousse!" Cologne shouted as she bounded off of Ku's fist with her staff.

Mousse rubbed the back of his head as he stumbled to his feet. "Ugh, what?" he asked.

Cologne dodged over a cross from Ku's fist and tried to get some distance. "Get up you fool! He's barely touched you!"

Ku didn't pay any mind to Mousse as he chased after the old woman. He could sense her growing fear.

Cologne maneuvered to keep Ku's back to Mousse. The demon didn't seem to notice as Mousse moved stealthily behind him, preparing a trap. This same tactic, however, had caused her to neglect the other fighter on the wall with them. To her horror, she was soon gliding past Ukyo and leading Ku right into her.

Ukyo didn't retreat with Cologne and swung her spatula at Ku. The demon blocked it with his right arm and pushed through it so that he was face-to-face with her. "You know, Ranma never felt anything for you," he said with a sick grin. "Nothing at all."

Ukyo felt a pain cut through her heart, but she bit it down. She wouldn't believe another damn thing this demon said. Holding back her tears, Ukyo brought her spatula down hard again and again. She didn't bother looking as she smashed her weapon against Ku, just wanting to end his taunts.

While Ukyo's attacks didn't seem to hurt Ku, they did serve to keep him occupied. Mousse saw his opening and unleashed his chains. This time, he wrapped Ku's arms to his sides, and would prevent him from using the same trick as last time.

"What foolishness is this?" Ku asked as he looked down at the chains.

"This is not foolishness, "Cologne said. She was flying towards him with a piece of paper in her hand.

Cologne slapped the paper to Ku's chest and struck several pressure points that's caused him to wince and stagger slightly.

"What are you doing, old ghoul?" Ku growled.

"Showing what my tribe has learned in the two thousand years since you crossed paths with us," she answered. She thrust her fingers into a combination of pressure points and watched the flow of chi in Ku's body begin to change.

Ku felt no pain from the points Cologne was striking, but felt something happening deep within. The flow of his chi was shifting oddly, as if points were closed while others opened.

Cologne saw the void within Ranma's body shift and flow in a new direction in her mind's eye. Everything was going as planned. The flow of chi was altered by the point's she'd touched to allow the talisman on Ku's chest to do its work. Soon, Ranma's chi would be free of its bindings and have a chance to flow again.

Ku felt the warm spec in the heart of his body become uncovered as he was forcibly moved in a new direction within. It was a very clever trick to try to expel him from his host, but he'd faced worse.

Cologne saw the spec of blue in the center of Ranma's heart. She waited for it expand to fill the opening in the blackness, but it didn't do a thing.

Ku felt the strange spec poking about. He didn't understand what it was, but it certainly wasn't what the old woman was hoping to find. He grinned at her failure and focused his own chi flow to break through the barriers that had been created by the pressure points.

Cologne watched as the black chi forced through the barriers she created. The natural flow was restored almost instantly, rebinding the small speck of blue light she'd seen. As the darkness finished covering it, the talisman burned away. "How?" she asked.

"You're a thousand years too late for that trick," Ku said. He empowered his battle aura, using its ice cold energy to freeze the chains around him until they were brittle. With a simple flex of his arms, he broke free, sending the links clanging to the roof at his feet.

Cologne sprang back and shouted, "It didn't work!"

At that time, Genma was finally getting up from the crater he'd been laying in. He heard what the old woman had said, and assumed he'd missed something important. "The talisman?" he asked.

"It didn't do a thing," Mousse said. With his chains gone, he now prepared to fight with a set of claws.

Before anything else could be said, Ku turned and caught Mousse with a kick. "Play time's over," he said. While Mousse fell backwards into Genma, Cologne and Ukyo were still too shocked to respond quickly, and Ku leapt from the wall towards the house where Shampoo and Akane were standing.

"Oh no. Everyone, move!" Cologne shouted. She bounded after Ku, not waiting to see if anyone was able to follow.

Akane prepared to receive Ku's attack, but Shampoo took to directly countering head on. The Amazon leapt and collided with him in the air between the wall and house, swinging her chúi in a spiraling combination. After their brief scuffle, they separated with Shampoo kicking off his blocking arm to the wall he'd leapt from and Ku in the yard.

"Shampoo, don't let him get into the house!" Cologne yelled.

It was too late. The second Ku was on the grass he eyed the sliding doorway. He was already opening it by the time Shampoo and Cologne joined him on the ground.

"Not so fast!" Cologne yelled as she struck her staff against the door to pin it shut.

Ku let go of the edge of the sliding door and swung at Cologne's staff. The old woman avoided the strike and Ku turned to face her and Shampoo. "Why not just leave this little family matter?" Ku asked.

"It doesn't matter what you think this is," Cologne said. "You revealed that you are Xū. We Amazons have business to finish with you."

"Oh, do try," Ku dared her.

Cologne and Shampoo attacked Ku together, using their blunt weapons against his fists and feet. While they tangled with him, Genma and Ukyo joined them on the ground.

Whenever one of the people fighting Ku would break off, another would move in, creating a rotation to keep the pressure on the demon. They gradually pushed him away from the side door, back to the wall where Mousse and Soun finally rejoined them. Now numbering six, the group chased him around the yard all the way to the front of the house where Akane was just about ready to abandon her given post and join the others.

Akane watched with growing anxiety as the six fighters fought in vain to defeat, or even just tire the demon within Ranma's body. No number of blows seemed to do lasting harm, and his aura was able to manifest for longer periods. The reality that they were slowly losing was nipping at the back of her mind, and she wanted nothing more than to try her own hand at stopping Ku.

Ku laughed as the six fighters surrounded him in a tight circle, but paused their assault. They were all short for breath, but that was okay. He had all of eternity to be patient.

The sight of everyone else seemingly too exhausted to continue pushed Akane over the edge. She stepped to the edge of the roof and inhaled sharply. "Damn it, I'm coming down there!" she yelled.

Cologne snapped her head around at Akane. "No! We've discussed this!"

"But you're all exhausted!" Akane argued. "This is getting us nowhere!" She wanted to help more than she'd ever wanted to do something before. She hated having to watch like this. She hated being the bait, held back from the battle.

Cologne grumbled, but found she couldn't argue that point. It was true, nothing they did seemed to gain any ground against the demon, and their plan had failed to allow Ranma to reassert control. More troubling was how Ranma didn't seem to be affect the demon anymore, even though it was still fighting without many of its powers.

"Akane!" Soun cut in for Cologne. "Do not come down here!" He didn't like their chances either, but he had convinced himself this is the way it must be. He couldn't bear to see his daughter face this vile demon after the things he'd said to him.

"But dad!"

"What's the matter, Mr. Tendo?" Ku asked with a sick glint in his eye. "Don't think your daughter's good enough to take me?"

"Hey!" Akane yelled incredulously.

"That's not it," Soun answered, but his voice betrayed his own doubts.

"And you, old ghoul," Ku shifted his gaze to the elder, "why so scared to let Akane down here? Afraid she'll do better than Shampoo?"

Before anyone could say anything, Ku turned around to smile at Shampoo. "That would be so shameful, wouldn't it?" he asked her. "Being outdone by _her_?"

Shampoo growled through her teeth and felt like she could snap the handles of her chúi from her grip. "Never!" she yelled.

"Shampoo, no!" Mousse pleaded from beside her, but it was too late.

Shampoo rushed Ku with herself covered in a thin red aura of rage. She spun into a dizzying dance of kicks and flowing strikes of her chúi that chained together.

Ku joined Shampoo in her dance of martial arts, enjoying how easy it was to bait her. Each rage filled attack stung the body, but the emotions that bled from her aura fed his own.

Cologne noticed the strange exchange of energy as Shampoo continued to shower Ku with enraged attacks. While slight, it couldn't be missed by her well honed senses. Somehow, Ku's aura was feeding off of hers. "Shampoo, stop this instant!" she yelled.

Shampoo heard her great grandmother, but couldn't bring herself to stop. She was lost in her own madness, and kept attacking, despite feeling like another force was causing her to do so.

"Shampoo!" Cologne yelled again. She couldn't seem to get through to her, so she turned to her allies. "We have to separate them!"

No one voiced an affirmation, but they all attacked together. Cologne and Mousse got between Shampoo and Ku while the other three jumped the demon.

Shampoo blinked and put a hand to her cold forehead. Dizziness slowly fell over here, but it was brief. "What happen?" she asked.

"Ku... he was somehow feeding off of your aura," Cologne said.

"What?" Shampoo looked at her great grand-mother. "Shampoo's aura?"

"Yes," Cologne confirmed with a sad look in her eyes.

"He no absorb aura before," Shampoo said. She remembered watching Ranma and Akane fighting him together, and then Soun and Genma. They'd all used massive auras in various ways against the demon, and not once had it seemed to feed off of them.

"Mmm... but they were balanced when using them," Cologne noted. She shook her head. Now, was not the time to try to figure out what was going on with Ku's tactics. "We can discuss it later... now, we must fight! Avoid using any battle auras!"

The three Amazons joined the others in circling around Ku and attacking him newfound vigor. One at a time, or all at once, it didn't matter. The same stalemate seemed to be met as Ku absorbed and dodged everything they dished out without returning much punishment.

Akane had had enough. She'd made up her mind, and was preparing to leap down from the roof when something landed on her head and then bounded off with enough force to drop her to her knee. "What the?"

Happosai went flying over the crowd and spun his pipe. "You didn't think you'd bested me, did you?" he asked.

Akane shook off Happosai using her as a spring board and finally joined the others on the ground. Everyone seemed to fall deathly silent when her feet touched down and their eyes turned to her.

"And the tomboy joins in at last," Ku said from the center of ring everyone formed around him.

Akane suppressed her anger at hearing Ku call her that insulting name. Her anger was not over the insult itself, but rather the source. The way Ku said it was a sick and twisted mockery of Ranma's voice, and she was going to shut it up.

"Looks like it's all in then!" Happosai yelled with his pipe raised to the sky.

As if following a secret signal, everyone continued the battle as if it had never paused. The grand master of the anything goes school of martial arts joined his students and temporary allies with Akane right behind him. With two more added into the mix, they gained an advantage. Slowly, but surely, they broke through Ku's defenses and forced him back.

The group settled into a strategy they'd all noticed as they fought. Cologne and Happosai used their small statures to dodge around Ku and strike him low. Soun and Genma used their paired training and oddly balanced styles to strike from two different directions. The three teenagers all attacked with their weapons together.

Akane, however, was left out of the groups otherwise fluid tactics. Her fighting style didn't mesh well with anyone else's, not even her father's, which seemed to have altered to better fit Genma as a counter balance. This left her with fewer openings to attack between barrages, but she still kept her own against Ku.

Ku shifted his tactics as the group came at him in teams. He could handle them, but something was troubling him within his chest. He didn't understand it, but he just knew it was that same strange light he'd seen during his possession of his host's body. He couldn't penetrate that light back then, so he'd settled for smothering it, and it hadn't bothered him until now. There was only one thing different now than earlier in the battle to have caused such a change. Akane was now involved, and quite close to him.

At that moment, Akane was in Ku's face with her fists flying. Ku hesitated a split second as that feeling in his chest pulsed. He growled and blocked her attacks. Each time her fists hit his bare arms, it felt like searing fire against his thin aura, but it was soon over as Akane fell back behind Ukyo, Mousse, and Shampoo.

Ku retreated away from the entrance to the house as the three separate teams attacked him. He blocked each attack that he couldn't dodge, and moved away from the house down the stone walkway where there was more space to maneuver. All the while, he watched Akane closely as she weaved in and out alone. Each time they traded blows, he focused on that feeling within his chi. He didn't know what it was, but it certainly was not the remnant of Ranma. No, he knew exactly where what remained of Ranma was.

Ku shrugged off another pair of blows from Cologne and Happosai before facing off with Akane again. He felt like the burning restraint of the light was getting worse now. He could still block with ease, but it was almost like there was a physical barrier against hitting Akane back.

While everyone else was oblivious to Ku's predicament, Cologne had noticed it. She didn't know exactly what was going on, but Ku was definitely struggling with his control at times. She wondered if they were finally weakening him.

Everyone kept fighting on. Their attacks felt like they were hitting stone walls whenever Ku's aura was lit, but he couldn't keep it up for long. Whenever that green shield fell, whomever was attacking seized the opening, and delivered as powerful a blow as they could. With each landed hit in these small openings Ku staggered more and more, even looking stunned at times.

"Keep at it!" Cologne ordered as Genma and Soun landed a twin fisted attack to Ku's chest.

Ku fell back a step and rubbed his chest. He was taking more of a beating than he'd planned on, but everything was falling into place. He just needed to take care of one little piece of business.

Through the thick of battle, Ku spotted Akane. Everyone else was further back, leaving her stepping forward. Ku kept his aura down, letting her think she was going to land a punch right after her father and Genma.

Akane saw Ku stepping back and his aura remaining absent. Her senses told her no one else was closer, and she moved in to land another blow. Her confidence was peaking as she drove her fist forward, but was met with an icy grip on her wrist.

Ku grunted as his hand grabbed hold of Akane's wrist, the very same one he had bruised the previous night. It'd taken everything he had to force past the restraint coming from his chest, but he'd done it. "Too slow," he grinned and charged his aura.

Akane gasped in pain as the aura covered her wrist, hand, and forearm with bitter coldness that burned at her flesh. While her arm became numb to the burning, the rest of her body felt itself being lifted into the air and then thrown towards the roof.

"Akane!" Soun yelled. He was helpless to aid his daughter as she flew over him and onto the roof of the house.

Akane cried in pain when she hit the roof, and grabbed at her arm. It was completely numb, but felt like ice in her hand.

Ku felt it immediately as Akane's distance from him increased. That nagging restraint that tore forth from his chest faded, and he could act more freely. He drew in the energy around him, and felt its flow. The haze of battle had created a violent turmoil around him, and now he could unleash his will upon it.

Everyone saw the threat in Ku rising at his suddenly brightening aura. They all leapt in without a thought, hoping to retake the thin advantage they'd had. None of them saw it coming.

Ku felt them all around them. Warriors in barely balanced states. Alone, each one wasn't enough, but together, they were like an inferno, and he was an ice cold void. He spun in a full circle and drew upon the skill his host supplied him. His fist struck Genma in the gut and drove forward, plowing the stunned man into Soun, and then Happosai, and then the rest was lost to the raging wind.

"Behold oblivion!" Ku yelled as his hiryu shoten ha erupted and swallowed the seven fighters. He felt them all being sucked into the vacuum, their energy draining within the tornado. It was an apt metaphor for what he did best.

Akane fell backwards and covered her face as the tornado tore apart the front entrance of the house along with their walkway and the gate of the outer wall. She'd seen Ranma use this attack plenty of times, but never like this before. While he'd created larger tornados, none were quite as violent as this one. Ku had created a very tight and powerful tornado that was able to break apart stone.

Akane was worried about everyone that'd been sucked into the attack. When it finally died down, she saw the seven bodies falling back to the ground limply. "No!" she screamed.

As the seven fighters fell, one among them managed to move. Cologne had barely been able to remain conscious against the powerful attack, and only because of her knowledge on how to counter it. Even that had barely been enough against the frightening power of Ku's tornado.

Using the last of her strength, Cologne created a gust of wind around everyone. While it wasn't much, it was enough to soften their landing, and she was hopeful they would all survive.

The seven martial artists landed into the crater of crumbled stone and splintered wood that Ku's tornado had left behind. The various weapons they'd fought with clanged around them. Together, the bodies and the weapons created a gruesome picture of defeat.

Cologne struggled against her staff. She searched for everyone's chi with what little concentration she could muster. To her relief, everyone was alright, but their fight was over. Everyone was unconscious.

Cologne looked up at Ku standing in the middle of the crater. He was returning her gaze with a smug grin. Turning her eyes away, Cologne managed to look at Akane in apology before she too fell unconscious at Ku's feet.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Okay, what color exactly are Ukyo's eyes? They seem to change color between blue, brown, and a reddish brown depending on the series and OVA episode. I decided to go with light blue, because that seemed to be the most frequent color.

This one took a while to figure out with so many people involved in the fight. Lots of rewriting had to be done, especially for Ukyo and Mousse.

**poseidon's son:** Well, now you know what happens when he's struck with cold water.

**AliceTheBookGirl:** Akane's training will indeed be part of her development, but I won't say how, or from who.

**BobV:** I won't comment on the possibility of Akane's actions, but telling Ryoga's secret would fall in line with Ku's mind games, wouldn't it? As you can see though, he is not always direct, usually baiting people to coming to their own conclusions, and Akane is rather terrible at that kind of thing.

**Compucles:** I merely had Cologne say that to show she didn't want Shampoo or Mousse speaking too soon. She wanted time to make sure of what she'd suspected.

Ranma is most certainly closer to Ryoga than the Amazons, but that really isn't saying much. to say Ranma is close to anyone is really taking a large allowance. Truth be told, I guess the best way of putting it is Ranma is able to trust certain people in certain ways, even though that tends to always bite him in the ass at some point. Like, he openly trusts Ryoga and Mousse during the Herb arc, and they're both planning to leave him for dead. So even when I say Ranma has a sort of trust in Ryoga, I also am inclined it is due to him being a little too trusting or gullible. Heck, you have to be gullible to still be willing to eat Shampoo's food after everything she's done.

**OddWallow:** Ku's actual form is the black, smoke like chi that radiates from its host, but never fully leaves it until it assumes its true form. The green aura is the chi it forms into attacks, most especially through its host body.

In terms of Ryoga not giving up on Akane, it's all about being able to move on. At the end of the manga, I don't think Ryoga's really reached that point, no matter how hard he wants to believe it or convince himself. He also has very selective memory and an overpowering imaginative perception of things when faced with situations that evoke strong emotions. Plus, one never truly forgets their first love, if you can really call Akane that as far as Ryoga is concerned.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


	25. Whisper

Ranma was in hell. That was the conclusion she was coming to, anyway.

For what felt like an eternity, she'd watched through a window in the darkness that surrounded her as her body, in its male form, fought the people closest to her. At the same time, the thick black fog around her tightened around her, slowly wrapping her in its icy grip.

By the time she saw Ku trick everyone into a giant spiral, Ranma felt like the darkness was crushing her body. It was a horrifying feeling, to be crushed in the depths of darkness. She imagined this is what it must be like to drown at sea, only she had no difficulty breathing the black fog, forcing her to suffer through this nightmare.

That nightmare only got worse as the events continued to unfold. She felt Shampoo's rage bleeding into the darkness from her aura at Ku's insults. She'd never seen the Amazon in such a state, not even when she was on her honor quest to kill her before discovering she was in fact a male. All this rage that fed the darkness was over Akane somehow.

Akane. That was the one person Ranma dreaded seeing the most through this window in the darkness. She had joined the others right before Ku started leading them into the spiraling dance of combat. Every time she saw Akane in the opening, Ranma felt her heart ache, and the darkness seemed to pierce her mind.

Now, Ranma was watching a nightmare come to life. The vision she was witnessing was akin to one of her greatest fears, a situation where she loses control. It didn't happen often, only when she was pushed too far by the various forces in her life. Whenever that happened, if she didn't blow off enough steam, her sleep would eventually play out a scenario where she loses control in her male form, and hits everyone that brought him suffering as hard as he could.

Those nightmares showed Ranma the consequences of his fury, and always reminded him on why he had to keep control. To his gratefulness, his subconscious never saw it fit to place Akane in those nightmares.

Every time Ranma had such a nightmare he'd wake up in a tense sweat. The rage would suddenly be suffocated by something in his chest, and things would return back to normal the next morning. That was not happening this time. Ranma couldn't wake up, and Akane was very much involved in what she was watching through the opening in the darkness.

"This has to stop!" Ranma grunted. She tried once again to fight for control, but no amount of concentration or physical struggle made a lick of difference. In fact, Ranma's actions only brought back the eerie laughter that boomed through her mind.

"Struggle all you want," a demonic voice said through the laughter. "You are powerless to stop this."

"You..." Ranma growled. "This is all your doing!"

The laughter increased in reply to Ranma's accusation, and then turned to the growl of a wolf. "Yes," the voice agreed. "Watch as I break everyone you hold dear."

Ranma wanted to fight back. She wanted to regain control. The laughter increased around her as she struggled, and the darkness tightened around her. Now, the opening was directly in her face. She watched with growing tension as everyone fell into the trap she'd set against many opponents. The spiral.

Ranma felt ill as everyone chased Ku around in the perfect pattern. She'd never attempted such a tactic against multiple opponents, but the concept was sound. Together, all eight of the people were creating a flow of warm chi while Ku radiated cold just from his damned existence. One-on-one, Cologne may not have fallen for it, but in the group, she didn't seem to take notice.

Then, came the worst part. Ku grabbed Akane by the wrist and caused her to scream in pain. The sight of her un-cursed hand grabbing her in such a way made Ranma want to die on the spot. The look on Akane's face combined with the scream was unbearable to her. It was the one thing she couldn't stand more than cats.

"Akane!" Ranma screamed at the opening, but to no avail. She watched as Ku hurled her back onto the roof and turned on her father.

As she thought, Ku could use the techniques she'd learned over the years somehow. The spiral he'd made with everyone provided the perfect opportunity to use the hiryu shoten ha, and Ku didn't waste it.

Even though Ranma had used the hiryu shoten ha many times, she was not prepared for seeing it with such destructive force. The tornado Ku created was tighter and more volatile than the ones Ranma created. It didn't have the reach, but it made up for it in raw power, and turned the stone walkway into fine gravel that was sucked up into the vacuum.

When it finally ended, the dirt, splinters, and gravel rained down like a storm amongst the bodies. Ranma couldn't feel a thing with her senses through the window, and feared the worst. Ever so slightly, Ranma began to sink down further into the darkness. She felt the weight of her failure crushing her soul, while her body grew numb. The laughter was now overwhelming.

* * *

**Ranma ½: Limitless**

**By: OmegaGear**

**Chapter XXV: Whisper**

* * *

Ku let out a short grin when Cologne joined the others in unconsciousness. He felt his body chill as he surveyed the scattered bodies and clenched his fists to feel the ice pumping through him. Probing his inner self, he felt Ranma's will sinking further into the recesses of his mind and laughed. "It is done," he told himself quietly.

Yes, he could feel Ranma sinking into the lower reaches of his mind where he'd trapped him there in his cursed form. Within his host, Ku used its body of black chi to smother what remained, meaning to bury it forever. He flowed his black chi against Ranma's existence like a raging wave, battering it with the weight of failure and despair.

Above Ku, on the roof, Akane was down on her knee looking down desperately.

Things didn't look good. Everyone was unconscious except for her, and she was in no shape to take on Ku alone, no matter how weakened he was. She had to clench her right arm tightly with her left hand to bite back the pain that still stabbed through it, and that was making it difficult to move.

"What now?" Akane asked herself. She couldn't just stay up there and let Ku do as he pleased.

Ku looked up and gave Akane a look of disgust. She saw malice in those eyes, but it was different from the murderous look he'd given her in the past. As if that hadn't been bad enough though, those eyes were even worse. She'd gotten used to his glare of cold contempt, but seeing Ranma's face look at her like she disgusted him hit her where it counted most, her unguarded heart.

Akane drew in a sharp breath and pushed down the emotions she was feeling. She forced her heart behind her old shields as best she could and stood up.

Ku didn't stand still for long, and turned his back to Akane. He began to walk away from the house towards the scattered bodies. He stopped by Soun and knelt down so that Akane could watch. He could sense Ranma's fear and smiled to himself. It was time to kill them one-by-one.

"It will be like two birds with one stone, eh?" he asked Ranma quietly, knowing she could hear him where she was trapped. "When I crush his skull, you and Akane both will feel it."

Akane watched nervously from her perch on the roof. She didn't like the looks of things, but was still too weak to attempt leaping down. "What is he doing?" she wondered out loud, but was afraid of the answer.

Ku pulled back his hand and grinned. Ranma's fear was so intense, he decided to take a second to enjoy it, savor it.

"Stop this instant!" A woman shouted, getting Ku's attention.

"Auntie?" Akane said in a hushed voice.

Ku paused at the sound of the woman's voice. _His mother..._ he thought in a strange mixture of curiosity and frustration. Her voice had given pause to Ranma's descent into the darkness within his mind, and yet, it didn't exactly thrill Ranma either. Ku would humor this development.

Slowly, Ku stood and turned around. He saw Ranma's mother standing in the destroyed entrance of the Tendo house with her sheathed katana at her hip. "It's too late, woman," he said. "I've won. Ranma is no more."

Nodoka clenched her jaw in response to Ku. She was holding the sheath in a shaky hand while her other palmed the handle. Her face was pale as the moon above, a sharp contrast to her quivering brown eyes. "You're wrong," she said.

Ku observed the woman and delved into Ranma's mind, picking at the scarce details he had of her. What he found was quite interesting. "Is that so?" he asked.

"Yes, it is so," she spoke more sternly now. "My son won't be beaten by the likes of you."

"Look around you, woman," Ku said with his arms spread. "They're all fallen. I've won! Your son couldn't stop this, and now none shall stand in my way!"

Nodoka twisted her palm over the handle of her katana and gripped it firmly. "I will."

"You?" Ku asked, his amusement spread over his face. He could tell by her stance alone that she was no fighter.

_Auntie no!_ Akane wanted to shout, but didn't. She had seen Ranma's mother wield that katana before. Ranma always teased herself for being a klutz, but his mother took the trophy from her in the blink of an eye. She was preparing to intervene, but held out. She needed as much time for her arm to recover as she could get.

Nodoka bent down to be in position to pull out her sword. She fixed a strong glare on Ku, trying her best to ignore the fact that it was her son's body in front of her. "I can't let you do this to my son."

Ku saw the moonlight shine off the blade as Nodoka pulled it out just an inch and laughed. "So that's it," he said. "It all makes sense. Better to kill your son now than to let him live on in shame as a husk?"

Nodoka choked back her answer. Her mind was swimming through a turmoil of thoughts, and she wasn't sure if her words would be honest. "That's not what this is about," she said.

"Isn't it?" Ku asked with his brow raised.

"No, it's not," Nodoka said. "All of this damage... All of this pain... It has to stop."

"Don't act virtuous with me!" Ku yelled. His voice was suddenly changing, no longer sounding like Ranma's. "You, who would kill your own son if you ever found him unworthy as a man!"

Nodoka froze as Ku's eyes bore into her. She felt like she was paralyzed.

Behind Nodoka, Nabiki and Kasumi appeared in the hallway. Both of them were watching nervously, but neither came closer.

Ku glanced at the new arrivals for a second, but then returned his attention to Ranma's mother. "You, who had your son sign a contract in blood when he was only six," he nearly spat as a low demonic growl accompanied his every word.

"Ranma knew what he was doing," Nodoka said weakly, as if she was trying to convince herself.

Ku ignored Nodoka's pathetic protests and advanced another step, deepening the hold of his gaze. "You, who looks at him with disgust every time you see him as a girl?"

"That's not true," Nodoka barely whispered. The world around her was starting to vanish, leaving only those black eyes eating into her.

"Did you think your son never noticed?" Ku asked. "Did you think he didn't feel your shame?"

"No! I never looked at my son that way!"

"Yes, live your little lie," Ku goaded her. "Pretend that everything's alright in your little glass box, but know this. I. Am. The. Hammer!" Ku's last words were throaty as his voice had become a grotesque growl. His aura came to life, but Nodoka remained frozen where she stood.

"It's not a lie," she said numbly. "I... I... I love my son."

"You love honor more than you could ever love Ranma," Ku said as he held up his right hand and bent its fingers. His aura focused into that hand, creating a brilliant ball of green light around it. "Even he could see that."

Nodoka shivered and looked into her memories. Was it true? Did she really look at him that way without realizing it? Did Ranma see that look in her eyes. What she saw in her memories mortified her. There were times when Ranma would step away and avert his gaze, as if ashamed to be in her presence. "No..."

"Don't worry," Ku said as he raised his glowing hand. He reached to the sword on his back and grasped the handle, but didn't pull it just yet. "You don't have to suffer his disgrace anymore."

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ranma floated almost lifelessly while watching the situation become more desperate. She strained against the cold that spread over her, trying to keep up the fight.

"Damn it, mom, move!" Ranma yelled at the top of her lungs. She was flailing her arms like she was imitating a bird while yelling into the opening she was watching through.

"It's all a lie!" she shouted. "Sure, I'm ashamed... but it's about how I feel, not the way you look at me! I've never even noticed..."

The laughter encircled her again, tearing her attention away from the opening for a second. She looked around, but still saw nothing with her in the darkness while she continued to sink slowly.

"Did you really not notice?" the voice asked. "Or are you just denying the truth?"

"I won't fall for your stupid tricks," Ranma answered. "My mother accepts me for what I am."

"Does she, now?" the voice asked, sounding unconvinced.

The darkness drifted closer, brushing against Ranma's skin. It scratched along her temple like the boney fingers of death and memories were forced through her mind.

Ranma shut her eyes tightly as the memories invaded her mind. She relived the countless times when her mother would walk in on her while in her cursed form and pause. Every time, she looked at her judgingly, if only for a second. Ranma knew why, and she didn't blame her. Other mothers didn't have to suffer a son that turned into a girl at random.

The memories played, shifting, twisting into something worse. Ranma's mother no longer just paused, she wore a frown on her lips. Sometimes, she even scowled quietly.

Ranma couldn't recall these memories clearly. Were they real? Was it all a trick? Before she could try to figure it out, the memories faded, returning her attention to the opening in the darkness.

"Look at her now, as she crumbles in shame," the voice said with sick joy. "She now realizes the truth in her heart. She has been ashamed of you all this time, and merely lives within a lie."

"Shut up!" Ranma shouted. She tried to shut out the voice by covering her ears, but found it was speaking right into her head.

"It hurts, doesn't it? Knowing your own mother can never truly find love for you."

Ranma didn't want to believe it, but part of her had always been afraid of such a truth being revealed. The memories came flooding back, this time of her own witless accord. Had she really been so blind to her mother's behavior all this time? Was she not accepted, and merely pitied and tolerated? Her heart ached at the possibility.

"She would even kill you now, rather than try to save you," the voice added.

The voice's last taunt struck Ranma in the wrong way. The ideas of surrender and sacrifice were toeing a fine line in her raging mind. She knew her mother wouldn't surrender so easily. She'd waited ten years for her to return a man among men. No, she was willing to sacrifice her son if it meant the pain would stop for everyone. It was a quality she'd shared with her mother.

"Damn you, and your sick games," Ranma grunted. She looked back through the opening and saw Ku raising his hand. "No!" she screamed. "No!"

"That's enough!" a woman's voice cut through the darkness.

Ranma paused her screaming as she heard a faint echo coming through the opening. It was distorted from coming through the opening, but she knew that voice. "Akane?"

Ranma looked up and was frozen solid from what she saw. Kasumi was standing in front of Nodoka with her arms spread to take the blow. Every alarm in her head, gut, and heart went off at once, pulsing together into a sharp lightning strike through her body.

"K-Kasumi...?" Ranma muttered in shock.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ku stepped back and lost his focus at the sudden appearance of the eldest Tendo daughter. Her presence added another layer of restraint around him, and he was starting to feel like a cage was being raised around him.

He looked within himself at his flow of chi. The black energy strained to flow smoothly against Ranma's acute awareness combined with the pulsing of the blue speck in his chest. He was starting to rethink sticking around with these sudden developments.

Ku squinted at the younger woman standing in front of Nodoka. "Kasumi," he said, losing much of his demonic taint in his voice.

Kasumi had a hard look on her face, but still carried the same graceful composure she always had. "You need to end this, Ranma," she said.

Ku stood with his hand grasping the handle of his sheathed sword glaring into Kasumi's eyes. He filled them with blackness and pierced into her grown pools, but was met with a strangely composed resolve. There was fear in her, yes, but there was also such confidence, and in what, Ku could not figure out. Her allies were laid waste around them, and he could cut her down in a second, yet there she stood, with no doubts in her heart.

Then, there was something. Ku could see it deep down at the back of her mind where countless walls had been build to block it. A pained regret. Yes, she had a deep seeded regret. It was something that had been shut in tightly, underneath so much baggage, that letting it out would almost certainly cause her to break down. It was the perfect emotion to exploit.

"You don't have to carry on like this," Ku said softly, as if to comfort her.

Kasumi's gaze became hard and she tensed her body. "I know I don't, but I am," she replied.

"You've already sacrificed enough you kn-"

Ku was abruptly cut off when Akane grabbed his arm that was raised to grip his sword and heaved him over her shoulder. He flipped backwards to land on his feet while Akane rolled forward and spun on her heels to stand between him and the two women.

Nodoka finally allowed herself to collapse from the tension Ku's gaze had forced into her body at Akane's arrival. To her relief, Nabiki appeared to help her to her feet.

"Thank you, Nabiki," Nodoka said.

"Auntie, we'd better go inside," Nabiki replied. She helped the older woman stand and glanced nervously at Kasumi's back. She didn't know where the others drew such strength, but she wish she could find it in herself.

"Y-yes, Nabiki, you are right," she said with a jittery voice. Her face was covered in a cold sweat, and she could barely walk, even with Nabiki's help.

Akane stood ready to fight while Nabiki lead Nodoka back into the house. Kasumi lowered her arms, but remained behind Akane in a show of support for her sister.

"You again..." Ku said, sounding rather annoyed. In the back of his mind, he could now feel Ranma's presence burning brightly against his suffocating darkness.

"You're going nowhere," Akane said.

"You should go back into your house with your sisters," Ku said grimly. "It's in your best interest to take this offer."

"No." Akane got into her usual stance. "You're not leaving as long as I can fight."

Ku's face went from shock to anger in a second. Her defiance would have amused him, if it wasn't also filling Ranma with joy and pride. He would teach her a hard lesson, and twist the knife in Ranma's heart at the same time. "You stupid girl," he hissed. "Stupid uncute, unsexy, tomboy."

Akane was able to ignore Ku's verbal jabs now that she'd come to terms with whom she was facing. She stood there defiantly, ready to fight whenever Ku was.

"Stubborn as an ox too, I see," Ku added. "Here's a little lesson. Don't tempt fate, because Ranma isn't around to save you anymore!"

"You're wrong!" Akane yelled back.

"What?" Ku asked in surprise.

"You're wrong," Akane repeated. "Ranma is still in there. Otherwise you wouldn't be avoiding a fight with me."

"Avoiding a fight with _you_?" Ku asked sarcastically. "You are imagining things. I've gotten what I came for. Ranma's will has been crushed."

Akane felt ice forming in her stomach at the possibility, but shooed the thought away. She refused to believe Ranma would lose like this. Something in her heart told her he was still alive in there. "Prove it," she said.

Ku couldn't believe the stubbornness of this girl. Ranma's memories didn't do her justice. He growled and summoned his aura. He looked at her with hatred and frustration. Akane's defiance really woke up Ranma's will, which meant beating her would go a long way in crushing it. Yes, that is what he would do. After all, Ku did so enjoy killing the women his hosts loved. "Oh, I'll prove just how wrong you are!" he yelled.

"Bring it on!" Akane summoned her own blue aura and charged.

Ku steeled himself as Akane rushed at him. He felt the strange light in his chest pulsing, but ignored the slight burning. When he moved to block, he felt that same restraint, although it was fainter than before.

Akane and Ku's auras cracked loudly when they collided in battle. Ice cold green met with electric blue as the two martial artists fought in the rubble that had once been the entrance to the Tendo household.

Kasumi backed away with her hands clasped nervously. She'd not seen her sister this way before, and she wasn't sure if she should be hopeful, or afraid. Every time Akane blocked time seemed to freeze, burning that image in Kasumi's eyes.

As the battle raged on, with the aura flashing like lightning against each other, Kasumi hid behind the broken doorframe of the house. She watched from where she hid, now understanding how Akane must feel every time Ranma fights to save her. It was chilling to witness such a brutal fight, and made the thrashings Akane gave Ranma look like playful slaps by comparison.

It was terrifying to see what these battles could be like. Kasumi had heard the stories from Akane, but the way she told them didn't live up to the real thing. If anything, Akane spoke matter-of-factly at times, like the danger was nothing compared to the given fact that Ranma would save her. She even made the stories sound wistful, in her own way, but this was anything but a fantasy come to life.

Kasumi let out her breath to calm her nerves. For the first time, she was facing the danger head on, no longer sitting idly in the house, oblivious to the truth. For the first time since their mother passed away, Kasumi felt true fear. "Be safe, Akane," she said softly in prayer.

Akane traded blows with Ku, willing herself against the ice cold aura he radiated. Its energy rippled through her every time they collided, but she believed he had to be feeling the same thing. Still, her arm still hurt from when Ku had grabbed it with his aura, and she was favoring that side too much. She needed space to get into a better position, so she threw her aura into a flaming wave of energy from a retreating spin kick.

The wave of fiery blue energy flew from Akane's foot towards Ku, providing Akane a chance to gain some space to catch her breath. As it reached Ku, he raised his arms across his face to shield himself. The wave crashed against him, scorching over his green aura.

Ku grunted as the blast from Akane's aura burned against his. Unlike Shampoo, Akane was able to remain balanced, despite her obvious emotions over the circumstances of the fight. His aura crackled as the wave crashed against it, and it faltered, relenting to his lack of control over Ranma's now acute awareness within him. "Damn..."

Akane saw Ku's aura fade away like it did earlier when everyone else was fighting him and moved in for the real fight. She drove her fist in hard, right into Ku's blocking arm. She felt her fist impact Ku's arm and took note of how it felt. It was solid, and the block was on the mark, but the movement was rigid. She stepped forward and threw more attacks, watching her opponent with all of her senses. Ku blocked everything she threw at him but didn't respond with any of his own.

Ku grunted when he felt Akane's fists hit his bare arms. The touch of her skin was still like fire, but he accepted the pain. Pain of the body couldn't defeat him.

He continued to block Akane's attacks. Her style was a solid, straight line form, making it all too easy to keep out of harm's reach. The problem was that light in his chest. Even with his darkness completely encasing it, its pulsing made it difficult to move in Akane's presence. Still, it was weaker than before, and he was ready to test his limits.

After another combination, Ku saw his opening. Akane had faltered from her straight line attacks with a spinning kick. This left her open, and Ku was quick to move in to strike.

Akane felt Ku's sudden shift towards her in her mind's eye. The void in the chi surrounding her was moving in fast, but not fast enough. She dropped her elbow and blocked Ku's punch, but couldn't prevent the biting pain from shooting through her arm.

Ku drew back his fist. It tingled strangely, but he didn't let it show on his face. He advanced on Akane and attacked again, forcing his way through the warmth that strained through his body as he did so.

Akane deflected Ku's attack with her good arm before starting to trade blows with him. He was fast, precise, and strong, much to her dismay. Her aura didn't waver as the battle continued, but her body wanted to relent with each punch and kick it absorbed.

Ku fought through Akane's weakening defenses until finally forcing her back a step. He leaned forward after her with his fist going for her face. The burning resistance in his arm intensified against him striking her there, causing him to actually miss as if the air itself deflected him.

Akane saw the way Ku's attack was strangely deflected before it could hit her face, thankful for whatever force had spared her. While Ku was taking longer than usual to recover from that strange occurrence, she was able to straighten herself again and refocus.

Ku was really getting angry now. He retreated from Akane a few steps while she attempted a combination of attacks and concentrated on his chi flow. He searched for every bit of light within him and smothered them all in darkness. When it was done, he felt the strain on his body lessen, and resurged his green aura.

With his aura back, Ku was able to fight Akane much more effectively. Combined with her growing exhaustion, his advantage was quickly growing. He could sense Akane beginning to tire from blocking so many attacks. Her movements were slowing, and she no longer held her body still when she blocked. "What's the matter?" he asked. "Want to give up?"

"Never!" Akane yelled and attacked with newfound fire.

Ku smirked and blocked the first pair of punches. Her aura was fading fast now. He had endured the scorching heat of her flesh, and now absolute victory would be his. Even now, as she weakened with every attack, Ku could feel Ranma's will shrinking.

Akane pushed herself to keep going. She wouldn't surrender as long as she could stand. Her body burned from exhaustion, but still she threw her fists. She didn't stop until Ku caught her left hand with his right and drew her to his face.

"It's over," he said.

Akane glared into his eyes despite her screaming heart. It couldn't end this way. She refused to believe it was over. She pressed her right hand against Ku's chest feebly. "No way..." she groaned.

Ku's eyes went wide when Akane's hand pushed against his chest. A fire erupted within him and it did more than make his body feel like it was burning. His black chi felt the scorching heat and he exhaled sharply.

"Akane..." a voice whispered in Akane's mind, yet it sounded as if it meant to yell.

Akane knew that voice. "Ranma?"

A strange, but familiar pulse reverberated through her right hand on Ku's chest. This time, there was no wondering if the voice had been her imagination.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Watching the fight with Akane was unbearable for Ranma. To her, it really seemed like she was seeing everything through her eyes, and not an opening in the black fog.

Now, with Ku holding Akane still, Ranma became desperate. She looked into Akane's eyes and focused on everything she felt in her body. Beyond the numbness, through the pain of her guilt, Ranma reached for the bond.

She wasn't sure if she could reach it in her current state, or even if she could will it to work. Ranma didn't care though, she had no other options. She felt for something in her center, desperate for the spark. There was nothing within her, however.

Ranma tried to look deeper, but couldn't find anything within herself. She let out a frustrated breath. "I guess I shouldn't have expected much... this not really being my body..." she told herself.

A moment later, Ranma saw Akane refuse to surrender and something above her pulsed. It was faint in the thick black fog, but the feel of it as the ripples reached her were familiar.

"This..." Ranma looked up and focused on the space around her. The ripples were tapering off, but she knew what they were. "Akane!" she yelled.

"Ranma?" Akane's whispered question came through the opening like all the other sounds of the outside world, but this was different. High above, that whisper echoed gently from another source.

"Akane!" Ranma yelled back. She had a faint smile, but was still yelling urgently.

Around her, the darkness shook gently, and the growling of the wolf echoed. Something was happening, and Ku was not pleased.

Hope swelled within Ranma for the first time since this hell swallowed her. She fought through the thick fog until she could almost reach the opening with her hand.

Through the opening, Ranma looked into Akane's eyes as she pushed against Ku's chest. She saw the fire and the hope burning brightly. The same fires that now were lit within her. "Don't give up!" she yelled.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ku howled in pain and dropped Akane to the ground. He retreated backwards and grasped his chest where her hand had been. "What..." he paused and looked down. That strange blue light was flickering within his black abyss. It had managed to dig itself a little pocket of space from whatever Akane had done.

There was more than that going on too. Ranma was no longer just acutely aware. She was swelling with something very powerful. Was it hope, Ku wondered. He didn't understand what this strange light was within him. It was distinctly different than Ranma's spirit, yet linked to it somehow. As it pulsed, so did Ranma.

Not leaving it to chance any longer, Ku dug through Ranma's memories, searching for what this light was. Two things revealed themselves, one clearer than the other. There was something Akane had done to him, but Ranma had no memory of it. It left a part of her with him and left them bonded. Then, there was the blue light of Ranma's center. The essence of his true being that manifested as a dragon through a technique he'd learned.

Ku couldn't figure out which it was that was causing him to react this way to Akane's touch. The bond made more sense, but the light in his chest was unmistakably blue.

Growling in frustration, Ku channeled his black chi through his body and encircled that speck of light. He couldn't snuff it, but he could block it off with layers of darkness. There was nothing he couldn't kill. There was no flame he couldn't extinguish. He would put out this light. It didn't matter what it was, as long as he proved to be its superior.

It took a moment, but Ku managed to silence the uproar in his chest. Ranma, however, was still burning brightly, and it was causing a faint pounding in his head.

"Seems you were wrong," Akane said from where she was getting to her feet. She wasn't sure if Ku was aware of Ranma being able to speak to her through their bond, or even of the bond itself, so she chose her words carefully. "You seem to be having some problems."

Ku glared down at Akane, the apparent source of what was happening. He'd never had this much trouble breaking his host's will before. His usual tactics seemed to have a bipolar effect on Ranma, causing suffering one moment, and then lighting a determined fire the next. He clenched his fist hard enough to draw blood. He was going to end this foolishness.

"A minor setback," he said. His eyes were now burning a faint green light.

"I think it's a little more than that," Akane said.

"Even if it is, you're finished. You can barely stand."

"As long as I can stand, I'll stand in your way," Akane shouted firmly.

"And just what is this boldness in you?" Ku asked. "Ranma remembers you as a helpless little girl."

Akane growled as her temper boiled from hearing Ku. She hated being belittled, especially by Ranma. Just thinking about him treating her like a helpless little girl made her want to clobber him into next week.

"Akane!" Kasumi shouted. She stepped out from where she'd been watching behind the door frame.

Akane took a step back and put her hand to her forehead. She'd let herself fall back on bad habits at the worst of times, just like Ku wanted her to. She looked over to where her sister was standing and nodded her understanding. She wouldn't allow herself to be distracted like that again.

"Give up while you still can," Ku warned her. His eyes showed unmatched hatred when he spoke. "I won't give you another chance."

Akane shook the fog from her head and firmed her stance. "I'll never give up."

"Then you will die." Ku focused his flow of chi, creating a more powerful aura than before. He pumped his chi like he did when Cologne had attempted to block it. If he couldn't overcome the barriers created by this light, he would break through them. Nothing would be able to contain his power.

Akane drew upon all of her remaining strength and produced the best battle aura she could. Her whole body felt the faint burning of muscle fatigue and soreness of growing bruises, but she ignored their pleas for her to stop.

With a determined cry, Akane rushed at Ku and delivered her best combination of attacks from a series of katas she knew by heart. Ku met her blow for blow, showing a cold rage he'd not shown since his fight with Ranma the previous night.

The two battled like fighters on their last breath. Akane fought through her exhaustion while Ku strained through the resistance Ranma pressed on his body. Both fixed focused eyes on the other, not giving an inch, but it was Ku's force of will that won.

Just as Akane finished a third combination, she reached her limit. Her aura faded, and exhaustion clouded her mind. She was dizzy, tired, and lost her sixth sense all at once. Her mind's eye could barely sense the flow of chi, forcing her to rely on more base instincts.

Her first block was slow, allowing Ku's fist to strike her in her left shoulder. She reeled back from the blow, but didn't retreat. Her next block missed his attack by an entire second, a kick to the gut that sent her pedaling backward. She stumbled, waving her arms to try to keep balanced.

"You're too slow," Ku said with malice. He moved with inhuman speed to get behind her and elbowed her side. The attack sent her spinning, and a simple step forward from Ku tripped her off her feet. "Clumsy," he added with a downward backhand to her stomach that slammed her into the ground finally. "Weak."

Akane hurt all over, but it wasn't from the exhaustion. The last few hits had hurt more than anything she'd ever felt before. Each blow had been punctuated by Ku's insults through Ranma's twisted voice. They stung, because they were insults that Ranma often used against her. Most of all though, she couldn't believe how much strength Ku had hit her with. She curled into a ball, clenching her stomach to try to stop the pain.

"You are pathetic, Akane," Ku said. "To think you would be so stupid as to believe you ever stood a chance."

Akane didn't speak. She slowly rolled onto her knees and pushed her hands against the ground. Her body shook as she tried to push herself up, causing Ku to laugh.

"You really don't know when to give up," he said. "Your cooking, your practice of the art, your foolish ideas of competing with Shampoo, Ukyo, and Kodachi."

Akane growled and winced in pain at the same time. His words made her angry and sad at the same time. Part of her still hadn't come to terms with everything, and let those words creep into her mind and stay there. She tried to force it out, but it remained like a poison. "Damn you..." she rasped.

Ku smiled. This was the victory he'd come here for. There was no greater despair than love shattered. "You never stood a chance," he said. "They are better than you in everything that is important to Ranma." He leaned in to speak directly into her ear. "Food, martial arts, and most of all, beauty."

Akane felt something snap inside. She spun towards Ku, whom was now standing up straight again. Her anger drove her to her feet and she tried to punch his lights out while a single tear escaped her right eye. "I hate you!" she screamed.

Ku returned Akane's anger with an evil smile. He avoided her attempt to punch him in the face and sent her back to the ground with a backhand that caught her by her eye.

"Oh my, Akane!" Kasumi cried.

Akane didn't say anything as she laid on the ground. Her eye and cheek stung from where Ku had hit her, and she knew it was going to show within the hour. She knew that was the point of the blow he'd given her. It marked in a way no woman wanted to ever be marked. It would swell and bruise as if Ranma had beaten her.

Akane couldn't hold it in anymore, and allowed her tears to leak out. Her defeat had become bitter.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ranma stared wide eyed into the opening, but no longer took notice of what her eyes saw. When Ku struck Akane in the face with the back of his hand, something within Ranma snapped.

That action had been different than everything else she'd witnessed within the darkness. Something in the air around her changed, causing her to be pulled into the opening. It no longer was like she was looking through it, but rather through her own eyes in the real world again. She could even feel it, when her body's hand hit Akane, and felt cold hatred coursing through chest. In every manner, it was like she herself was hitting Akane.

Just as quickly as the strange experience had happened, Ranma found herself being sucked back into the darkness, and she was once again peering into the foggy opening.

The experience had been haunting for Ranma, to say the least. It was like waking from a dream to find herself striking Akane as if she'd been sleep walking. Seeing her on the ground crying was an image Ranma would never forget for the rest of her life.

Ranma couldn't breathe. Her breath had caught in her throat after feeling her own hand hitting Akane, and it was now a painful lump. Tears ran from her eyes as she looked down at her hands. They were trembling from her nerves and aching heart.

The darkness felt heavier around Ranma as she succumbed to the horrors she was experiencing. The last event replayed in her mind over and over despite her best efforts to not see it. Every detail was intensified in her memory. The sound of Akane's cry of pain. The feel of her knuckles hitting her by the temple. The cold hatred in her chest. The burning rage in her arm. Everything was made worse by her memory.

A faint growling began to sound overhead, but Ranma ignored it. She didn't care about whatever it was creeping in the darkness. The only thing that mattered to her was the pain Akane was going through because of the situation they were in. All she wanted to do was put an end to this any way she could.

As Ranma continued to focus on her thoughts of Akane, and her desire to make this stop, the growling became louder. It was distant, but also different than the growing she'd heard earlier. This was not the growl of Ku's wolf form.

The growling fell over her ears. As it did, Ranma heard her male voice speaking within her mind.

"He did this," it said. "He did this!"

Ranma gazed through the opening at Akane's still huddled form and squinted. She knew who had to answer for this.

"Make him pay," her male voice said, sounding a little more forceful than how she usually was.

Ranma wanted to make Ku pay. Above her, she felt a pulse send ripples through the darkness, along with a faint roar. Her body tensed of its own accord, wanting to act.

"Make him pay!" her male voice cried. "He hurt Akane! Akane!"

Ranma suddenly realized that she recognized this voice. Of course, she recognized it, because it was her true male voice, but it was more than that. It was the feeling the voice gave her as it spoke, like something deep down in her heart fighting to break out. The last time she'd felt it was when she was facing off against Saffron. That was when she'd been pushed further than ever before. That was when she'd made a hard stand, and came to terms with what it truly meant to fight for your life, to the death.

"Kill him!" the voice cried. "He must pay! No one hurts Akane and gets away with it! Put an end to this! Kill! Kill! KILL!"

Ranma became acutely aware of what she needed to do, effectively silencing the voice in her head. The roar faded from her ears, and she looked upwards. "I'm going to kill you!" she screamed.

Ranma's aura flared to life, filling the darkness with blue light. The black fog could now be seen around her, shadows cascading along its layers from Ranma's aura. A pair of green eyes and a glowing fanged maw were glaring back at her from within the black fog.

Ku's revealed demonic form snarled at Ranma and coiled itself around her tightly. It brought its full weight upon her, attempting to block her aura's light from escaping its mass.

Ranma pushed and swung through the thick fog, using her light to guide her. She kept her eyes on Ku's, moving closer with each cut of her arms through the dense fog. "You're dead, Ku!" she threatened. "You're dead!"

Ranma continued to force her way forward while Ku brought more darkness down upon them. The thick fog was now denser than ever, nearly blinding Ranma to Ku's green eyes. She didn't relent. The thicker the darkness became, the harder she fought to break through it. Each time she batted away another layer, she saw her target in the distance.

While Ranma burned brightly, the pulsing of energy from above was becoming stronger and more frequent. She felt each pulse move through her like a surge of energy, while Ku howled as if pained.

Ku's green eyes retreated out of Ranma's reach. As it rose high above, its body of fog fell over Ranma like a tidal wave. More and more black chi came flooding from behind the green eyes, crushing her underneath its cold, numbing touch. She wouldn't surrender, however. It didn't matter how deep the abyss was. Ranma would claw her way out and make Ku pay for what he's done.

* * *

**- x -**

* * *

Ku felt Ranma sinking under despair as he glared at Akane's defeated form. He was savoring the taste of victory. It was just as it always was. A man brought to his knees, to despair, at the beating of the woman he loves. Adding the twist of making him feel like he was the one doing it twisted the proverbial knife, which only made Ku grin in satisfaction.

Ranma's presence was just about finished when Ku felt the light in his chest pulse. He squirmed slightly and looked down at it within him. It pulsed again, stronger than the first time, causing him to flinch.

He placed his hand at his chest and moved his chi to subdue the light. When he did, he left an opening for Ranma's presence, although he saw nothing wrong with that. Ranma's presence remained in its state of shock and despair, not even aware of the lightened burden.

Then, everything changed. A third pulse from the light took advantage of Ku's attention, and ever so slightly, reached to Ranma. The whole thing was so slight, Ku didn't even take notice. He continued to try to subdue the light until Ranma's spirit suddenly burned so bright he howled.

"Grah!" Ku cried. His body went rigid, and he grabbed his head in his hands. Pain. Burning hot pain was ripping through his head.

Akane looked up at Ku's howl of pain. She watched through eyes blurred by her tears as he clenched his head tightly and cried out. His whole body was shaking violently.

"Ranma?" Akane asked herself. When Ku's body flinched violently, she called out to him. "Ranma!"

Ku's eyes opened, looking crazed from the pain he was experiencing. He didn't understand. Ranma seemed more determined than ever. The light in his chest was pulsing like a heartbeat. Everything was going wrong.

While the pain continued to rip through him, Ku looked over to where Akane was kneeling. She was no longer huddling in pain. Instead, she looked hopeful and determined.

"Fight it, Ranma!" Akane yelled.

Akane's words made the pain even worse, forcing Ku backwards. He growled and pushed down both of the lights within him. As the lights were pushed further back again, Ku regained his senses and glared at Akane. "You..." he growled. "This is all because of _you!_"

Ku suddenly released his black chi, which surrounded his body like smoke from a fire. He stood there burning from his rage, eyes murderous as they glared into Akane's. With a push of his arm, he attempted to send his chi towards Akane, to make her feel true despair.

Akane shielded herself from the black chi as it glided towards her. It touched the arm she was using to protect herself, and its terrorizing touch began to affect her.

Akane's worst nightmares flashed through her mind in the blink of an eye. Painful memories, long buried by her subconscious, came dredging back to the surface. As they bombarded her mind, the smoke began to pass through her like an ice cold breath.

"Suffer and die," Ku said grimly.

While Ku's attention kept Ranma firmly in place in his prison, the same could not be said for the light in his chest. While it had been content in remaining deep within its little pocket of space before, things were now different. As the black smoke pulled the memories and thoughts from Akane's mind to use against her, the light changed its behavior. It now came lancing through the darkness, and exited his body as a wave of energy.

The blue light emitted from his chest and pulled the black smoke back in. As it dragged the black chi from Akane, she fell limply to the ground, trembling from what she'd just experienced.

The two energies fought within Ku, making him flinch and convulse. He tensed his muscles and focused as best he could. The light in his chest was strong, but it wasn't fighting to gain ground, or even force him out of control, not that it could. It remained in his chest adamantly, merely keeping the darkness from escaping when Ku attempted to move it again.

Ranma, on the other hand, was breaking through the barriers he'd formed around her. Ku couldn't contain her while also fighting to subdue the blue light that prevented him from attacking Akane. He surrendered his intent to harm Akane, slowly pulling his chi back from the blue light and back towards where Ranma was being held. The light did not pursue, and calmed as its haven was left intact.

With the revolt in his chest momentarily at peace, Ku directed his attention to Ranma, bringing his crushing cold and despair on her like an ocean. "Foolish mortal," he seethed. "You only delay the inevitable."

Ever so slowly, Ku managed to submerge Ranma enough to stop the pain in his head. Her light was now encased in a tight prison of black chi. It now only buzzed slightly, but he would deal with that in time. The light was more troublesome, and Ku didn't think he could deal with these problems while sticking around.

At that moment, Akane was just beginning to struggled from her back to her hands and knees. She looked up at Ku, hoping to find that Ranma had won. To her disappointment, she could tell that was not the case.

Ku was glaring down at Akane, but making no move against her. He was focused on holding himself together against the conflicting forces inside of his host body. His plan to break Ranma had failed, and another presence was making things far more difficult beyond that. There were other ways to get what he wanted, however.

Without a word, Ku leapt over Akane and then the crumbled gate. Akane tried to turn to look after him, but stumbled halfway from either exhaustion, or pain. She couldn't tell.

Kasumi finally ran over to where Akane was on the ground and held her tightly. "Akane, are you alright?" she asked, voice trembling.

"He's still alive," Akane said, ignoring her sister's question. "I heard him."

Kasumi was glad to know that Ranma was still alive, but her worry for her sister was the dominant thought. She couldn't imagine what Akane must have gone through, especially that last part. "That's good to hear, Akane, but what about you?" she asked again.

"I'm fine," Akane said in a hurry. Her mind was a complete mess of rushed thoughts and scattered plans. "We have to go after him," she added while trying to stand. Before she could even get an inch off the ground she fell back down. "Ouch," she groaned.

"Not tonight, you're not," Kasumi said while helping her sister up. She supported her arm with her shoulders and began to walk her back to the house.

"But he's going to get away!" Akane argued.

"There's nothing you can do like this, Akane," Kasumi said pointedly.

"But-"

"Akane!" Kasumi snapped in her strict tone. She waited a second for Akane to calm down and looked at her with assurance. "You're only going to make things worse by trying to go after him now."

"I know, but we don't know where he's going," Akane said sadly.

"Something will turn up," Kasumi said, sounding sure of it. "Everything will work out, Akane. As long as Ranma's alive, he won't give up. We can't give up on hope. And besides, we can't just leave everyone like this."

Akane looked around at everyone laying on the ground unconscious. Kasumi was right, of course. No good would come of her trying to chase Ku in her current state, and everyone else needed help now. She didn't like it, but she would have to rely on hope for now.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Alright, time to move on from this bout of mental and emotional trickery. Onwards to bigger and better things. I hope this last chapter doesn't come off as a complete disaster, because it was tough trying to make Ku's tricks make sense. Things will be more straight forward from here on out, though.

**poseidon's son:** The final battle will determine who finally bests him.

**Richard Ryley:** Yeah, I noticed that about Shampoo's hair too, although it seemed to become more purple at times. Most people see indigo as purple anyways, and it's not really a topic of confusion. Ukyo's eyes, however, had me stumped, since they so blatantly change.

**AliceTheBookGirl:** It's good that you remembered that bond, and Akane's chi. It will come back as a major topic during Ranma's part of the story. You are right though, that I won't answer your question directly. I will say it should be answered by Ranma's side of the story, however.

**linkgold64:** Sorry to hear your computer got fried. I always fear that'll happen to mine, and I'll lose all my writing, among other things.

**BobV:** As I touched in this chapter, Ku is not entirely aware of Ranma's situation with Akane's chi, because although Ranma has knowledge of it, he has no memories of the ritual itself. Ku can look through Ranma's memories, but without knowing what to look for, he's kind of at a loss.

**Lisa:** Whatever it is, it will make sense in a special way.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.


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